Referendum - Stillwater Area Public Schools ISD 834

Investing in our future

District taxpayers will be asked to renew an expiring operating levy on November 2, 2021, as well as consider new funding to help maintain - and possibly expand - programs for students. Watch for more details to be shared here as they become available.

Time is running out on the district’s existing operating levy

The operating levy, which was originally passed in 2013, expires at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. If a new levy is not approved, the district will lose between $11 to $12 million in annual funding and would face significant reductions in staff and programs.

What Will Be On The Ballot?

The school board is considering two separate ballot questions - one to replace the expiring levy and a second to help fund technology. Taxpayers will be surveyed this summer to gather input on how much the community would be willing to invest to support schools. A final decision on what will appear on the November 2, 2021 ballot is expected by mid-August. Stay tuned for more information.

Possible Question 1

Replacement Levy

Renew the expiring levy and provide additional revenue to help make up the funding gap.

Possible Question 2

Technology Levy

Support a 1:1 technology program and fund a variety of technology-related expenses currently paid from the general fund, including devices, infrastructure and staff.

Addressing Funding Needs - November 2, 2021

The expiring operating levy accounts for approximately 12% of our total operating budget. The levy has helped to stabilize funding for the past eight years, allowing us to maintain many of our programs and staff. But even with the levy in place, we've had to make budget reductions as a result of inflation, rising costs, a state funding shortfall and unfunded mandates.

Replacement Levy

The school board is considering adding a question to the ballot that would renew the expiring levy and provide additional revenue to help make up the annual funding gap.

Why a replacement levy? Because a straight renewal isn't enough

Even with our current levy in place, the district has had to make budget cuts in 3 of the last 8 years - totaling $7 million. That’s because we rely on state funding to pay our bills, but that funding hasn’t kept pace with inflation. The difference between the state’s annual formula allowance and the inflation adjusted formula allowance is more than $500 per student - the equivalent of nearly $4 million in lost revenue to our schools.

A replacement levy would allow the district to maintain current programs for students and address the ongoing budget shortfall:

Inflation
Rising costs
State funding shortfall
Unfunded mandates

Technology Levy (Capital Projects Levy)

The board is considering asking voters to support a technology levy. We are one of only a handful of districts in the metro area without a dedicated source of funding for technology through this type of levy.

Don't be surprised if you see this called a "Capital Projects Levy for Technology" on the ballot - that's the official language provided by the state.

A technology levy would:

Support a 1:1 technology program giving EVERY student access to a device both at home and school
Pay for a variety of tech-related expenses currently paid from the general fund, including:
- Devices
- Infrastructure
- Staff

Levy Fast Facts

We spend less per student than districts in the seven county metro area:
- Seven County Metro Area Average: $16,285/student (ADM) served
- Stillwater Area Public Schools: $15,469/student (ADM) served

Source: Executive Audit Summary p.18

We are one of only a handful of districts in the metro without a dedicated source of funding for technology. Most districts have a technology levy that pays for computers, infrastructure and even technology staff - freeing up money in the general fund to reinvest in programs for kids.
If you could pick up your home and move it to any other school district in the county, you'd pay more in school taxes. That's because the tax rate in Stillwater schools is lower than our neighboring districts.

Addressing Facility Needs - Future Request

The school board is expected to bring a bond referendum to voters in 2022. Holding off until 2022 allows the district to focus on the operating levy this fall, as well as study space and facility needs, consider boundary adjustments, and watch enrollment trends over the next year. Any projects approved on a 2022 bond referendum would likely be completed during the 2024-2025 school year.

Bond 2022

Bond 2022

As part of a 2020 long-range facilities study, the Community Design Team (CDT) identified numerous needs - the most pressing of which is providing more space for students in the southern part of the district. With significant growth occurring in Lake Elmo and Woodbury, the team recommended replacing the aging Lake Elmo Elementary, adding on to Brookview Elementary and making other improvements to district facilities to address inequity in learning spaces and overcrowding.

COMMUNITY DESIGN TEAM'S RECOMMENDATION