After adding tech during the pandemic, Minnesota schools ask voters to pay more

Voters in more than 30 Minnesota school districts will decide this fall whether to give schools more money and, in many cases, the ask from districts is a “tech levy” — more taxpayer dollars to fund technology upgrades for teaching and security measures.

“The state does not provide a dedicated funding stream, really, for technology,” said Scott Croonquist, the executive director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. “Technology is ubiquitous for schools, and it has become even more important since the pandemic.”

Half of the metro area school districts with referendums this fall — including Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Shakopee and Burnsville-Eagan-Savage — are seeking renewed or increased funding for technology. Brooklyn Center and Rockford schools are going for 10-year tech levies for the first time.

Others, including Rochester, Farmington, Fridley and Prior-Lake-Savage, have more general operating referendums on the ballot, meant to help cover costs of ongoing, day-to-day expenses.

“The operating referendums in the past were meant to help fill in some gaps and do some extra things,” said Gary Lee, deputy executive director of the Minnesota School Boards Association. “Right now, the operating referendums are being used just to stay flush, just to balance the budget.”

The DFL-controlled Legislature approved a sweeping education bill in 2023 that gave schools more than $2 billion for new spending, but much of it was earmarked for specific programs, including free school meals. Decreasing enrollment, inflation and the recent sunsetting of pandemic relief funds mean that many cash-strapped districts are now facing cuts.

Tech levies can also provide relief for a district’s general fund that may have been used to cover technology costs. The cost to taxpayers depends on the district and home value.

In Minneapolis, voters will decide on a $20 million-a-year levy increase for technology in Minneapolis Public Schools — a move the district says would free up spending on general operations and minimize cuts to other programs and services. The ballot measure would allow the district to replace an $18 million a year capital project levy with a new $38 million a year levy to run for a decade, beginning in 2025. If approved, taxes on a $350,000 house would rise by $8 a month or $96 a year.

Rochester Public Schools is asking for voter approval for a $19.4 million referendum — nearly twice the amount of the referendum that narrowly failed last year, prompting Mayo Clinic to make a one-time donation of $10 million to the district. The district, which has cut about $21 million from the budget over the last two years, says the additional money would be used to maintain a slew of programs and positions, including some that had been funded by one-time federal pandemic relief dollars. If passed, the levy would mean a $396 annual tax increase on homes valued at $400,000.

On a webpage explaining Rockford Area Schools’ proposed 10-year $900,000 tech levy, the district says, “When school districts face a budget shortfall, the options are to make budget cuts and/or ask voters to increase local revenues through a levy referendum election. More than 90% of Minnesota school districts — including Rockford Area Schools — rely on local operating levies to help fund basic costs.”

If approved, the district said additional funding would go toward updating security measures, including 911 systems and cameras, enhancing cybersecurity efforts, and replacing outdated classroom and building technology.

More technology has brought new challenges. Cyber attacks on schools are becoming more common, forcing schools to spend more on cyber insurance and system protection.

“School technology includes a lot more for safety and security,” said Courtney Neibert, the executive administrative assistant to Rockford Schools’ superintendent. “We need to make sure we are keeping kids physically safe and their info safe.”

Brooklyn Center Community Schools also cites cybersecurity upgrades as a reason for the new 10-year $700,000 tech levy proposal. Replacing broken iPads and Chromebooks, which the district began providing for students at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, is another reason for the ask, the district said.

“If the district’s proposed capital projects levy is not approved, the district will need to make some tough decisions and changes in operations,” which could include reducing the one-to-one student device program, according to the district website.

It can be a risk to put a school referendum on the ballot in a presidential election year, Croonquist and Lee said. The high-profile elections tend to draw a larger number of voters, and they may not be informed about the referendum question but feel they need to answer.

“That could really come back to haunt some of these school districts,” Lee said.

School district websites often explain why they are seeking additional funds and offer a breakdown of how much taxes would increase for homeowners in the district, Lee said. And many districts are hosting informational sessions for taxpayers with levy questions ahead of Nov. 5.

“The bottom line is, you know, referendums continue to be an important part of how we fund schools in Minnesota,” Croonquist said. “Our districts are really trying to cut through all the noise and all the ads and just make sure people have the information that they need to make an informed decision on the referendum.”