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School districts ask local voters for financial help
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
November 1, 2002

More than 70 of Minnesota's 341 school districts have proposals on the ballot this fall to raise local taxes. Last November, a record 188 districts held levy referendums and 132 passed. Most of the districts that failed are trying again with new requests. They're also spelling out the bleak budget consequences of another defeat.

St. Paul, Minn. — Average class sizes at Blaine High School this year have topped 30 students. Math teacher Karen Eggert has 35 students in her honors geometry class. The count in calculus class is 41. Eggert says the crowded classrooms are a big challenge.

"I really can't get to the kids that I would like to get to because I'm just running around like crazy," Eggert said. "I'm trying to get my stuff done and trying to help this person. There are kids in before school, after school, which is a good thing, but there's just such an increase in numbers that it's very difficult, and I feel badly for those kids."

Budget cuts the past two years have reduced teaching staff and increased class sizes throughout the Anoka-Hennepin school district. Transportation cuts have forced students living within two miles of school to pay a $200 fee to keep riding the bus. The cost of extra curricular activities jumped $80.

Blaine Principal Norm Hande says active students do better in the classroom and take more ownership in their school. He say he's concerned because participation in sports and other extra curriculars is noticeably down this fall.

"We rely on our student involvement to help us build a real positive climate within our building," Hande said. "And it scares me in a school of 3,000 if we should lose that tool and the ability to create that ownership."

The Anoka-Hennepin school district will try to stop its financial bleeding with a four-part levy referendum that could generate a total of $30 million a year for five years. The first ballot question would raise $21 million a year, just enough to avoid future budget cuts and fee increases. The other questions would target money specifically to rehire teachers, restore bus service and reduce activity fees.

School board members say the consequences of another levy defeat will be painful. If none of the questions pass, they'll cut another 360 teachers, close five schools and restructure the high school schedule from a four period day to six. Students would have fewer options for electives. Blaine sophomore Kim Peitso says she's concerned about the possible changes.

"We're getting closer to where we're ready to choose what we're doing for college," Peitso said. "It's kind of difficult if we can't experiment with different electives in our high school years."

The story is similar in many large suburban school districts. Officials in North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, Osseo and Stillwater are also promising more budget cuts and fee increases if voters reject their levy requests. One government watchdog group is criticizing that approach. Randy Wanke, executive director of the Minnesota Education League, says school districts are wrongly using scare tactics to gain voter support.

"Give us the money or the football team gets it," Wanke said. "Give us the money or these programs are going to get cut. To me that's essentially hostage taking. It's just not an honest way to approach this debate."

Wanke says district officials should show voters how they'd spend levy money and what they've done to control costs.

In the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district, voters will decide whether to provide $3.6 million a year for 10 years. Superintendent Ben Kanninen says the level of education funding simply isn't keeping up with inflation. He says the defeat of last year's referendum required real cuts.

"Our school budget this year is $2 to $3 million smaller this year than last in real terms," Kanninen said. "Certainly we curbed the growth of our budget, but we also reduced it in absolute terms, by about three or four percent. We didn't lose students, we just lost the ability to support the programming we had at that prior level."

The St. Paul school district is seeking $18 million a year for four years. The request comes just two years after voters approved a large levy referendum. But recent changes in state tax law shifted levy money from local property tax bills to the state education funding formula. St. Paul schools have made $32 million in budget cuts the past two years due to rising costs and less than expected state funding. Superintendent Pat Harvey says the referendum is needed to maintain current programs.

"We've been trying to do more and more and more with less and less and less," Harvey said. "And actually I'm afraid. I'm afraid that we won't be able to make another round of cuts and deliver more."

Harvey isn't talking about specific consequences, but school board members say a defeat would mean more teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and reduced busing. Two years ago, district leaders built a broad coalition of community support for their referendum. This time, the city's mayor and chamber of commerce are opposing the initiative. Mayor Randy Kelly says the vote is ill-timed and ill-conceived.

"I don't deny that the city of St. Paul's school district needs more money, but the fact is that the state has taken over funding for education," Kelly said. "And it is my belief that with the new governor, with the new Legislature taking office in January of '03, that we need to come up make our case there and ensure the state meets its obligation of adequately funding our school system, not only in St. Paul but across the state."

School board chairman Al Oertwig says he doesn't understand the mayor's opposition. He says the board had to move forward with or without key support.

"I'm sorry that not everyone has had the chance to have the kind of input that they'd like to have," Oertwig said. "But that, frankly, is what an election process is about. It is the opportunity for everyone to say whether or not we'll support the needs of our students in our schools. That is crucial. We must take the opportunity now to learn the facts and get involved, or our children will be harmed if we do not do so."

Individual school districts have mailed detailed levy information to local residents and posted material on their Web sites. The Minnesota Education League has developed accountability kits to help skeptical voters analyze their local school district's financial needs.

The other suburban districts seeking additional tax support include Centennial, Eden Prairie, Farmington, Minnetonka, Prior Lake, Richfield, Shakopee, South St. Paul, West St. Paul and White Bear Lake.

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