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Superintendent urges board to back outreach on Minnesota Permanent School Fund amendment
Summary
Superintendent Tim briefed the Annandale board on a proposed constitutional amendment to modernize the Permanent School Fund distribution formula, saying it would boost district distributions without raising taxes and urging members to educate voters because a skipped question counts as a 'no.'
Superintendent Tim told the board the Permanent School Fund was created at statehood in 1858 and has grown to more than $2.3 billion, and that a proposed constitutional amendment would modernize the distribution formula to send more money to districts without raising taxes.
"It does not raise taxes," Tim said, emphasizing two talking points he wants the community to hear: the amendment won’t increase taxes and residents should not skip the ballot question because a blank counts as a no. He said the Minnesota School Boards Association and a bipartisan task force have supported moving the change forward and that districts will receive materials to help explain it to voters.
Board members asked for localized estimates of what the change might mean for Annandale per pupil. Tim said preliminary district-level runs might exist and that staff will try to find or produce rough per-pupil ranges so the board can share a concrete example with community groups. He cautioned the district is not talking about "millions and millions" for a single district but incremental per-pupil increases that add up across programs.
The board discussed outreach plans, with members agreeing to engage township and community groups to reduce the risk that voters skip the question. Tim said the district will continue to provide information to the board and to residents through the campaign period leading to the election.
