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To address our financial challenges, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley will ask it's voters to consider a capital project levy and referendum on Tuesday, November 4.
While we are making important strides, our financial situation remains critical. Years of underfunding at the state level, rising costs, and the absence of an capital projects levy have placed increasing pressure on our budget.
Despite our district's strong financial management and continued efforts to reduce expenses, we are now facing tough decisions that could impact electives, student support services, administrative services, technology, and class sizes. Community awareness and engagement are critical as we work together to protect the quality of education that our students deserve.
MN STATE FUNDING GAP
Over the past two decades, the state’s education funding formula has not kept pace with inflation, creating financial challenges for school districts. Today, Minnesota schools receive approximately 18.6% less per student in real dollars than they did in 2005, making it increasingly difficult to meet student needs with limited resources.
RELIANCE ON LOCAL SUPPORT
Increasing costs such as inflation, rising casualty and property insurance, and unfunded mandates are too heavy a strain for the district to maintain. Many districts turn to local support to bridge the gap between student needs and state funding.
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE
In 2024, the district's strong financial management was recognized with a credit rating of A2. We continue to receive clean audit reports, reflecting our commitment to fiscal responsibility and our ability to effectively manage debt.
IMPACT OF FAILED 2024 VOTE
The result of losing our Capital Project levy and the failed Operating Referendum in the 2024 election caused a reduction of over $300,000 in operations. Over the past few years, rises in costs of employees, mandates, and inflation has strained our general fund. In 2024, only 37.5% of school referendums passed.
Watch this 3-minute video to better understand the challenges of Minnesota's school funding system:
Video is provided courtesy of Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) and Captivate Media.
Many school districts across Minnesota are bringing new or renewed operating levies to their voters. We are not alone in facing significant financial challenges. Since the loss of our capital project levy, the district has made $307,000 in budget reductions. These cuts have included a freeze on technology purchases and reductions in teaching, administrative, and paraprofessional staffing- impacts that directly affect classroom support and district operations.
CLICK THE MAP BELOW TO VIEW NEARBY SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATING REFERENDUM AMOUNTS
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