Carleton College pledges $2 million to Northfield Public Schools if referendums pass

Carleton College on Thursday pledged to give $2 million to Northfield Public Schools to help with construction projects, if voters sign off on bond referendums this November.

“This is a historic investment in public schools by a Minnesota private college,” Superintendent Matt Hillmann said in a news release. “For one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges to invest in the community in this way to help it thrive shows great commitment to our community.”

Voters in the school district will see three questions on their ballot asking them to sign off on bonds to cover upgrades to Northfield High School.

The first question asks them to approve a $95 million project that would add 120,000 square-feet of classrooms, demolish some wings and renovate other areas. The second question asks voters to sign off on a nearly $19 million project to add to the gymnasium, and the third asks them to approve a nearly $7 million project to install a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The district estimates that a resident with a $350,000 home would see an annual tax increase of $307 to $413, depending on which combination of questions passes.

Carleton College President Alison Byerly said in a statement that the school wanted to help reduce construction costs because, “We know how important up-to-date classrooms and labs are to the learning experience of students.”

The college said nonprofits rarely donate to other institutions because their funds are typically designated for specific causes, but it has become more common for universities to make one-time donations to cover projects in the communities where they’re based.

The college said its donation “does not draw upon any tuition dollars but is made possible by undesignated gifts that the college can choose to devote to this purpose.”