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Duluth votes on levy
by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio
October 30, 2003

Duluth's Old Central High School now houses the district's administrative offices. Some think the district should sell the building and use the proceeds to pay rising expenses. (MPR Photo/Chris Julin)

The Duluth schools are in trouble. The district is short $6 million for next school year. The district is asking voters to raise property taxes to help close the gap. But even if the tax increase wins at the polls, the district will face a $2 million shortfall. And Duluth is not alone. On Tuesday, voters in more than 60 Minnesota school districts will decide whether to raise their taxes. It's been two years since the Legislature removed basic school funding from the property tax, and more than 80 percent of Minnesota districts are taxing themselves anyway.

Duluth, Minn. — Duluth is one of just a handful of districts in Minnesota that's been operating without an excess levy. But the tight economy and mounting costs are pushing the district to ask for more money.

"Schools need to be funded," says Julie O'Leary. She has two kids in Duluth schools.

"They're a service that our city needs just like we need utilities and police and fire protection," she says.

O'Leary is campaigning in favor of the levy. She says it's a shame an hour was cut from the high school day, and her kids have to share one teacher with 35 other students. She says her own kids are doing fine.

	Julie O'Leary

"But I know there's lots of other kids that are not doing okay in these big classes. They're falling through the cracks and they're not getting the attention they need, and we're losing them."

School politics in Duluth are driven by the city's seemingly unbridgeable east-west chasm.

Some members of the school board represent specific neighborhoods instead of the entire city. The board has struggled for years with declining enrollments and rising costs. It's been unable to agree on what schools to close to save money.

This year, a grassroots group with people from all over the city hammered out a practical wish list for the Duluth school system. They worked out how big a levy would be needed to pay for the list, and then the school board signed on.

The proposal would keep Duluth's three high schools open -- at least for the next few years. It would also pay for special programming in middle schools. It would cover some extra-curricular programs. And it would keep music, art, and physical education teachers in elementary schools.

The levy would bring in $2.7 million each year for five years. The state would nearly match that amount.

But even if the levy passes, the district will still have to cut more than $2 million to balance its budget.

Critics say the district han't done enough to cut costs. But Superintendent Julio Almanza says the board has made lots of tough decisions.

	Julio Almanza

"They have made over $12 million worth of cuts," he says. "And yet we still maintain a quality -- beyond quality -- an excellent educational program."

Almanza says Duluth's schools rank high in statewide comparisons for reading and other measures.

There's no organized opposition to the referendum. In a poll of Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce members, a majority opposed the referendum. But the Chamber board decided not to take a position. The Chamber's Andy Peterson says there were strong feelings on both sides, and the board didn't have time to analyze the numbers.

"You have to start much earlier," Peterson says. "Perhaps six or nine months, or even a year, working in the community to gain broad-based support."

State records show the Duluth district is well-run. Jim Sheehan, a consultant to school districts, says Duluth spends less money on administration and more money on teachers than the state average.

"They are operating very efficiently," Sheehan says.

He says the Legislature and the governor have left school districts in the lurch.

"It's no secret that a large percentage of expenditures is for salaries and benefits," he says. "So if the state is going to assume the funding responsibility for public school education, then there has to be a greater dialogue about what they're going to do."

Sheehan says districts losing enrollment -- like Duluth -- face a tougher time. Levy proponents say if it doesn't pass, the district will face a $6.2 million shortfall next year.

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