Support schools by voting

Here’s a question for you: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund, which is a fund that supports school districts without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027?”  

 

I will be voting yes to the proposed constitutional amendment on Tuesday, and I hope you will be, too. It has already been passed by both Minnesota Houses, and now requires voter approval.

 

Voting yes will not raise anyone’s taxes. Failing to mark the question yes on your ballot is the same as voting against the amendment, since passing it requires approval from a simple majority of people casting votes. I am informed it might be easy to accidentally overlook the question because it appears on the back side of the ballot.

 

As has been mentioned in a few articles over the past months, if the amendment passes, all schools which receive money from the permanent school fund will receive about $33 more per student beginning with the 2027-28 school year than in 2026-27: from $68 to $101. Districts also receive state funding from other sources, about $7,000 for each student, but as school financial managers will assure you, every little bit helps.

 

The permanent school fund has been part of Minnesota’s constitution since it was first written. Under its terms, income from millions of acres of land in the northern part of the state–mostly timber and mining leases–is managed by the Department of Natural Resources.

State leaders reveal the fund is currently about $2.3 billion and growing by approximately 8 percent each year. Interest and dividends on the fund are distributed according to a system designated in the original state constitution.

 

There is bipartisan agreement that changing the language would not be detrimental to the value of the fund itself, and that it is contrary to the intended purpose of the fund for any of the interest and other accruals to remain undistributed.

 

In other words, it seems like a “no-brainer” to vote in support of the initiative. Even if you see few other reasons to go to the polls next Tuesday, I encourage you to head on over and weigh in on at least this one item. 

 

If you want more information, it’s easy to find online. I offer the Minnesota Public Radio website and “Vote Yes for Minnesota Students” as resources. The “Vote Yes” website provides estimated  dollar amounts which will be going to all 510 school districts which receive support from the fund. According to information posted there, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton would increase from about $42,500 in 2025 to $63,000; New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva from about $52,000 to nearly $78,000; and Waseca from nearly $114,000 to nearly $169,000.