District survey shows strong favorable views, finds majority support for $10 million capital projects levy tied to safety and technology

Peter Leatherman, CEO of the Morris Leatherman Company, told the Mounds View Public School District board on May 6 that a door-to-door and telephone survey of 500 residents conducted March 26–April 9 found overwhelmingly positive ratings for the district’s overall quality of education and meaningful persuadable support for a capital projects levy tied to safety and technology.

Leatherman said the sample is projectable to ±4.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level and that the average interview time was about 12 minutes. “If we ask about a tax tolerance for capital projects levy, 25% say nothing,” he said, then added that when respondents were told a $10 million levy would fund safety and security, cybersecurity, and classroom technology, support rose to 67 percent with 31 percent opposed.

The survey found that 93 percent of respondents rated the district’s quality of education positively, a figure Leatherman described as “among the highest” compared with metro norms. Respondents named teacher quality and academic programs as the district’s strongest attributes. At the same time the survey recorded a 51 percent perception that total property taxes are “high,” which Leatherman said places the community in a broadly hostile tax climate category — though he noted the district’s figure is lower than many peers.

Leatherman gave specific cost examples tested in the questionnaire: a $300,000 home would face roughly $15 per month and a $400,000 home about $21 per month under the proposed $10 million levy; the average was presented to respondents as about $18 per month. He also reported that those who described themselves as “persuadable” were most responsive to safety-and-security messaging and to arguments about cyber/data security and classroom technology improving learning.

Board members asked follow-up questions at the meeting about whether current favorable ratings represented a return to pre-pandemic levels and about whether the survey result will be repeated. Leatherman said the district’s quality rating is back in the low 90s and recommended repeating assessments; he also noted that the polling instrument and the public’s concerns may shift over time.

The presentation included demographic breakdowns the firm provided to the board: 65 percent of respondents were cell-only households, 24 percent reported a resident aged 18–34, 38 percent were older than 55, and about 24 percent had a child attending district schools. Leatherman also reported elevated financial stress in the region compared with pre-pandemic benchmarks, and he cautioned that economic insecurity and property-tax concerns remain the leading obstacles to passage of a levy.

The board did not vote on any levy at the meeting. Leatherman concluded by saying, in his assessment, a $10 million capital projects levy focused on safety, cyber/data security and classroom technology would have a high probability of success if run with appropriate messaging and given the current community attitudes.