Voters reject majority of school funding measures

11/10/2006

Districts are analyzing their options after nearly 60 percent of proposals failed, the lowest approval since 1980.

Dan Wascoe,
Star Tribune
Last update: November 08, 2006 – 11:51 PM

Minnesota school officials raised their eyebrows in surprise Wednesday when they realized that voters had approved only 42 percent of 74 measures seeking more money for the state’s schools.

That’s the lowest percentage since 1980, said Greg Abbott of the Minnesota School Boards Association. Last year, 76 percent of school tax measures were approved.

“This caught us off guard,” said Mike Stotts, business manager for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District. Voters there rejected a request to raise an additional $6 million annually for 10 years.

Two surveys before the election showed “very positive” attitudes toward the district and its schools. “We didn’t see this coming,” he said.

Among 38 proposals offered by 22 districts in the greater Twin Cities area, 27 were rejected and 11 approved.

Charlie Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, predicted last month that about 60 percent of the measures would pass. In fact, about 60 percent failed.

His explanation: “The failed referendums are not about anger or negative feelings toward the schools but about economic uncertainty and property taxes impacting the property owner.”

Despite a low unemployment rate and a climbing stock market, he said, many people feel uncertain about their jobs and don’t want to pay higher taxes.

Abbott said school districts might be a kind of scapegoat. While cities and counties can raise property taxes without voter approval, school boards must hold referendums. “That’s the one time voters can say no—when schools come calling,” he said.

He added that there’s no predictable pattern to how voters respond to school districts’ requests. The highest approval rate in recent years was 86 percent in 1997. That followed 46 percent just a year earlier.

Districts such as Chaska and Orono, where measures passed, made the case successfully to voters, he said.

David Jennings, Chaska’s superintendent, said it helped that a large share of his district’s households have children in school. The district had also established the credibility that it needed to build a new $93 million high school and increase taxes to run it, he said. The district should not need another referendum for at least 10 years.

Jennings and Superintendent Karen Orcutt of Orono said dedicated parent volunteers were important to spread the word of their districts’ needs and the effect on taxes.

Orono voters had turned down a previous request for higher taxes, so “we are very thrilled,” she said. “We’ll be able to maintain our excellence.” Without that approval, the district faced the loss of 11 teaching jobs, she said.

Next steps

Several officials were cautiously optimistic that the next Legislature’s strong DFL majorities might bring more state funding.

Scott Croonquist, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, took heart that candidates from both major parties cited the importance of increasing school funding.

He said that neither Gov. Tim Pawlenty nor many legislators signed a “no-new-taxes” pledge this year, providing political leeway for potential votes on school funding.

Orcutt can’t wait. “The whole thing needs to be reanalyzed.”

Alice Seagren, Minnesota’s education commissioner, said she sees no need for sweeping change. The state has increased general education aid the past two years and there likely “will be more money on the table” in the coming legislative session.

Some voters might have taken that into account when deciding whether to approve a property tax measure, she said. She added that some voters could believe that a small district should merge with a neighboring large one.

But she also said that the state should review a formula that provides more aid to districts with low property values. Because property values have risen substantially in some communities such as Elk River, the state might want to redefine “where’s the cutoff, where’s truly a property-poor district?”

Until then, districts such as Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Brooklyn Center and Stillwater face further budget cuts.

Keith Ryskoski, Stillwater’s superintendent, issued a statement saying $3 million to $4 million in cuts will be necessary after voters rejected two requests.