A referendum to boost operating funds will go to voters in November as the St. Paul school district aims to head-off what they say would be $37 million in budget cuts.
The St. Paul school board unanimously approved ballot language at their Tuesday meeting that will ask voters to increase the district’s general revenue by $1,073 per pupil for 10 years, beginning with taxes payable in 2026. The result will cost the average St. Paul homeowner — with the median home valued at $289,200 — $309 per year or $26 per month. The 10-year tax is subject to increase with inflation.
Voters approved similar referendums in 2018, 2012 and 2006. The 2018 levy gave the district $1,180 per student, or $18.6 million per year plus inflation, in new revenue.
If approved by voters, the increase will generate approximately $37.2 million per year in additional revenue. The school board approved a $1 billion budget in June for 2026. An estimated $51.1 million budget shortfall is to be covered by $35.5 million in reserve funds and $15.6 million in budget cuts and new revenue, including funds from the levy.
If the levy is not approved by voters, district officials say they expect to make at least $37 million additional budget cuts.
Arts, music, language, cultural programs
A Morris Leatherman study of district residents in June found that 78% supported a property tax increase to maintain educational programs, said St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Stacie Stanley. And, 74% supported a property tax increase to provide financial stability.
“It’s our arts and music programs, our language and culture initiatives — we have robust college and career readiness programs and pathways,” Stanley said. “And in that survey, our residents told us that is what they appreciate the most about St. Paul Public Schools. So really, this is to maintain and sustain those programs. Because … without this additional funding, we are guaranteed that we will have to cut $37 million for the (2026-2027) school year. And those types of programs would have to be on the table.”
Transportation, security and academic support services also face reductions if the district is not able to find additional revenue, according to district officials.
“And those types of services, again, are things that our families prioritize when they come to us, and they actually cost tens of million dollars to provide,” Stanley said.
Budget strains
If state funding kept pace with inflation each year since 2003, the district would receive $1,470 more per-student than it currently does, or approximately $50 million per year, according to district officials. And, if the district received the same amount in per-pupil funding as the average of districts in the surrounding metro area, such as the Minneapolis Public School District, it would have $1,073 more per student.
“The additional funding support we are seeking is not for enhancements, it is to maintain and sustain what we have now,” Stanley said.
The district’s decision to move the referendum forward comes as public schools nationally face funding uncertainty from federal sources.
Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Monday that Minnesota joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states suing the Trump administration for freezing funding administrated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The funding includes more than $70 million in education funding for Minnesota and $6.8 billion total across the U.S., according to Ellison’s office. At least $7.2 million was for St. Paul public schools, Stanley said.
That funding goes toward programs like adult basic education, services for English learners, training for tenure-track teachers and direct student support, Stanley said.
Referendum has union support
Officials with the teachers’ union St. Paul Federation of Educators expressed support for the referendum Tuesday, citing school districts’ loss of federal COVID relief funding, federal cuts and state funding not keeping pace with inflation.
“Our community understands the reality: our schools are severely underfunded,” said SPFE President Leah VanDassor in a statement. “We simply can’t continue to reduce staff and essential programs without harming students’ opportunities and our ability to keep great educators in our district. This levy is our chance to protect what makes our schools strong.”
A district website with information on the referendum is expected to go live Wednesday at spps.org/vote. Stanley expects to share information at Rondo Days on Saturday and hold community forums.
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