South Saint Paul board to ask voters in May to fund building repairs and renew capital levy

The South Saint Paul School Board voted unanimously on Jan. 26 to call a May 12 special election with two ballot questions: a building bond referendum to pay for critical infrastructure repairs and a renewal of the district's capital projects levy to continue funding safety, security and technology needs.

District Superintendent Dr. Brian Zambrino said the ballot would contain two separate questions. "Question 1 is that building bond," he said, describing it as targeted work on mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, roofing, windows, doors, lighting and accessibility upgrades. Question 2 would renew the capital projects levy already in place and is structured so voters would see no net tax increase from that renewal, he said.

The superintendent cited a facilities review and task-force process used to prioritize needs and said the district received a facilities study that tallied about $150,000,000 in deferred-maintenance needs across all sites. "We received $1,000,000 from the state," Zambrino said, explaining the gap between the full estimated needs and available funds. He framed the bond as a targeted, manageable ask designed to address pressing safety and accessibility problems rather than new, discretionary projects.

Officials provided homeowners examples of likely impacts. Zambrino said the district's example would be "less than $12 per month on a $300,000 home" in today's dollars (noting inflation), and provided other sample annual costs for $200,000 and $400,000 homes. He emphasized the district's plan for two rounds of engagement about project priorities if voters approve the measure.

Board members pressed for clarity about timing and community engagement. Vice Chair Claflin and others said holding a May election allows prioritized projects to proceed over the summer to minimize disruption to instruction. Director Cummings and others praised the stakeholder work that shaped the proposal while noting the underlying facilities study was conducted a couple of years earlier and that construction inflation increases the cost of waiting.

The board approved the resolution by roll call (six yes votes), instructing administration to proceed with outreach and coordination with city partners on logistics for the special election.

If approved by voters, the bond proceeds would be directed to identified critical repairs and accessibility improvements, and the renewed capital projects levy would continue to fund safety and technology infrastructure. Next steps include the district's formal communications plan, mailings to voters, and further community engagement to shape the specific project list.