Eden Prairie votes to renew, increase expiring school levy

Voters on Tuesday approved Eden Prairie Schools' request to renew and increase its expiring levy, preventing what administrators promised would be a $10 million budget cut if the referendum failed.

According to final results, both of the questions the district put before voters passed by a wide margin after a dogged effort by supporters.

"This operating levy will stabilize the district's finances for at least the next five years, and provide us the funds necessary to focus on the important work of both maintaining and enhancing the educational opportunities for our students," Superintendent Curt Tryggestad said. "All our students stand to benefit from increased financial resources as we begin planning for lower class sizes in kindergarten and first grade, reading and math specialists to assist students, and more individual attention for students."

The referendum had been contentious, with some residents critical of the district for seeking more money after it has lost almost 1,000 students over the past decade.

Voters there had not approved a levy increase in a decade, prompting school officials to make almost $17.7 million in cuts over the past 10 years to compensate for declining enrollment and increased operating costs.

Had voters let the levy expire, school officials have said they would have considered cutting block scheduling at the high school, elementary gifted and talented programs, and some band programs.

Statewide, 39 school districts were asking voters in renew or increase operating levies, while another 26 were seeking approval to sell bonds to finance almost $500 million in construction.

The number of school districts with bond questions on the ballot this year is about twice as many as usual.

One of the school districts that hoped to finance new construction is Elk River Area Schools, which had a $98 million bond question before voters. It also asked voters to increase its operating levy.

With about one-third of precincts reporting results Tuesday night, both questions appeared to be passing.

The district's bond proposal called for building additions at Rogers High School and at elementary schools in Rogers and Zimmerman, construct a new school in Otsego to serve students through eighth grade, and build new auditoriums at Rogers High School and Zimmerman High School.

"What this is really about with these two questions is solving overcrowding conditions," said Charlie Blesener, the district's spokesman. "We're a growing district and need to build space for student learning."

A third question was new: A request for a $4.5 million bond to construct a new stadium with artificial turf on the Henry Sibley High School campus. The current athletic facility, Charles Matson Field, is at a middle school in West St. Paul.

With about half the votes tallied at the time this edition went to press, the stadium request appeared to be failing, while the other two questions were passing.