Same state, different school funding: The levy gap in Minnesota

“You may not be able to offer the class sizes you were hoping to. You might not be able to purchase new curriculum or more materials to support that curriculum. You might be looking at reducing some of your support staff,” said Aaron Fischer with the Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA). He’s talking about what he’s seen happen when communities vote down school referendums, particularly Operating Levies. Yet, how much local voters will approve to support their school varies drastically, by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars a student. “We all want the best for our students,” said Fischer. “Each district’s tax base can be very different,” added Matt Hillmann, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). The statewide average for Operating Levy funding is $1158 per student. But, when you break it down by district, some get $0, others get a few hundred per student, and some get the legal maximum, $2,366 per student thi