A Primer: Northfield School District Levy Referendum

Can the results of one operating levy question change the face of a school district? Northfield School District officials think so.

Depending on the results of the , the Northfield School District either will maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future or prepare for increased class sizes and staff layoffs that could begin as soon as the 2013-2014 school year.

District residents who vote in the referendum will be asked two questions:

• Whether to rescind its current $1,270 per-pupil operating levy—set to expire following the 2013-14 school year—and replace it now with one that’s $334 more per student. Proceeds from the operating levy pay for day-to-day expenses of running a school district, like salaries and supplies.

• Whether to renew the district’s current $750,000-per-year capital projects levy—also set to expire following the 2013-14 school year—for another 10 years. That levy pays for such expenses as building upkeep and new textbooks.

Most of the focus of the district’s levy campaign has been placed on the operating levy.

officials say that without approval of the $1,604 per-student levy—thus, without more dollars from district taxpayers—the focus of education in Northfield could change dramatically. For instance, fewer advanced and elective classes would be offered, and co-curricular programs and activities could be cut or face large student-fee increases if the current levy expires and a new levy is not approved.

HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?

If the new operating levy is adopted, residents owning residential and commercial property would see the school portion of their property taxes increase by about $73 for every $100,000 of the taxable market value of their property. For example, a resident with property valued at $150,000 would see a $110 annual increase. A resident with property valued at $250,000 would see a $182 jump.

The levy increase would begin showing up on property tax bills in May 2012.

Property owners would see no tax increase if the capital projects levy is approved, as the levy would continue at the current levy. The levy costs taxpayers $32 annually for each $100,000 of the taxable market value of their property.

In Tuesday's referendum, the operating levy question must be approved in order for the capital projects levy extension to be OK’d.

IMPACT OF THE OPERATING LEVY

Without the new operating levy, district leaders say they would be forced to cut $900,000 from the district's operating budget for the 2013-14 school year and $6.7 million the following school year. Those budget reductions would translate into the loss of more than 100 full-time staff positions in 2014-15 alone and average class-size increases of four to six students. The district employs 273.48 full-time equivalent teachers and 550 employees in all.

If the operating levy is approved, the district would maintain class sizes at current school-year levels for at least the next three or four years, district officials said. That time frame depends on state education funding levels.

The district could conduct another levy referendum next year if the levies are not approved Tuesday.

WHY MORE MONEY?

In a about the levy questions conducted last month, blamed changes in state education funding—particularly, the shift in state aid payments that now allow the state to hold up to 40 percent of those payments until later—for the district seeking more money from local taxpayers. That shift has led to a $7.5 million reduction in the Northfield district’s cash balance, including a $2.4 million drop during the current school year.

“They (state lawmakers) could balance the budget by making cuts, or they could balance the budget by making shifts,” Richardson said. “They made shifts.”

The district has offset the impact of state aid shifts, as well as no state or federal increases in , by cutting more than $4 million from its budget over the past six years, Richardson said. But without a higher per-student levy, more frequent and painful funding reductions are forecasted for the future.

Opposition to the levy increase has come from a powerful source.

Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, chair of the Minnesota House of Representatives Education Committee whose district includes part of the Northfield School District, has questioned the need of the Northfield district to seek more money. 

In a guest column appearing in the Northfield News and during an interview with KYMN Radio, Garofalo refutes the district’s claims and says the district is sufficiently funded by the state.

MORE INFORMATION

The Northfield district has levy referendum information available on its website.

Among the items included on the website are a video overview of the levy proposals, voting and polling information, and a copy of the district’s levy guide that was distributed to district residents this month.

WHERE YOU VOTE

Polling places are not necessarily the same as general election polling locations. Visit the school district website (or look at the attached image) for polling places or visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website to enter your address for your location. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.