Taxpayers in the St. Michael-Albertville School District will head to the polls this November to address school funding issues for the third time since 2021. That’s after the STMA School Board approved a two-question ballot referendum earlier this summer with hopes to find additional funding sources via a local levy, as well as bonding dollars to address building needs across the community’s seven buildings.
“Funding has just not kept up with the costs of educating our students or maintaining our buildings,” said Dr. Ann-Marie Foucault on an episode of North Wright County Today – The Podcast. “We know that this is an extremely difficult time to as our taxpayers to do this, but we feel like a establishing that local levy puts us on a more solid footing for the future.”
With more than 6,700 students – and one of the largest high schools in the state with a population of more than 2,200, STMA is one of the few districts of its size to operate without a local tax levy. A local levy is issued by school district (sometimes known as an operations levy) in order to make up shortfalls in state spending. STMA voters did approve a local levy in 2011, but it was implemented as a Local Operations Revenue line item. The state legislature changed funding for those LOR items in 2015, effectively eliminating it for districts like STMA, instead moving more money to categories like Title 1 and compensatory funding – something districts with less median income see funded year in and year out.
The Board, in its discussions, pointed to multiple factors to address local budget shortfalls. One, STMA has already cut more than 75 teachers in the last five years due to shortfalls. Second, the Minnesota Legislature cut funding for education programs by not matching inflation in the second year of the upcoming budget, they said, effectively leaving most districts with a budget gap in FY 2026-2027.
The Board expressed its reasoning in a letter posted to residents and families last month.
All of that coupled with less federal funding has more than 30 districts across the state going to voters with ballot questions in 2025.
Question 2 revolved around bond dollars – about $21 million raised – to address security issues and building improvements, including in classroom and learning spaces, that have been “neglected for years,” according to the district. Phone and video system upgrades, security door improvements and more are included in a package that would deliver improvements to each of the district’s seven buildings.
Playgrounds would also transition from “wood chip” surfaces to rubber features, such as those at Elm Creek Park in Maple Grove.
Ehlers Financial Group – an advisor that assists many school districts around Minnesota – estimates approving both questions would add about $25 per month, or $300 annually.
A complete rundown of the proposed levy and bond can be found online at STMA.k12.mn.us/vote2025.