After failed 2023 referendum, Rochester Public Schools superintendent proposes nearly $20M levy

Jordan Shearer, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Updated ·4 min read

May 14—ROCHESTER — Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Kent Pekel is recommending the school district ask voters to approve an operating levy of nearly $20 million a year this fall during the November election.

Pekel discussed the proposal on Tuesday, May 14, with the School Board after a presentation about the results of a survey, which asked local voters for their opinion about the potential levy. The School Board is expected to vote on May 21 about whether to move forward with the superintendent's recommendation.

In a memo that he read during the meeting, Pekel reiterated that if the district does not secure an operating levy, it would lead to cuts of "at least $20 million," which would be on top of the substantial cuts the district has already made in recent years.

"Rochester Public Schools is at a crossroads," Pekel read from the statement. "Given that the school district has already cut more than $20 million since I began my tenure as superintendent, we are past cutting through muscle and would face no choice but to cut deeply into the bones of our school system."

The survey sampled 625 random residents from the district from April 23 to May 6. Among other questions, it asked voters how they would feel about approving an operating levy of $22 million a year, equating to $1,284 of funding per student.

After being informed of several facts related to the situation, 46% of respondents said they would support the levy, 18% said they would strongly support the levy, 19% said they would oppose the levy, 13% said they would strongly oppose the levy, and 5% were undecided.

Even though the survey gauged taxpayers' tolerance for a $22 million levy, Pekel's actual recommendation is that the school district pursue an option that would bring in $19.4 million a year.

Among other things, Pekel's memo included a breakdown of how the funding would be spent. Board member Jean Marvin said she appreciated how the proposal would support the whole child and not just their academic needs.

"I think it really highlights that this school district isn't just focused on helping kids become good test takers and having great academic skills," Marvin said. "All of this combined shows the commitment to helping students become great people and being prepared for the world that they will graduate into."

If the board approves Pekel's recommendation, the referendum will come a year after voters narrowly rejected a previous levy request in 2023. However, the two proposals are substantially different. The 2023 referendum was for a capital projects levy that asked voters to approve $10 million a year for technology-related needs.

In contrast, Pekel's proposal this fall would be an operating levy that would allow the district to spend the funding on everyday expenses rather than for a targeted area. Pekel explained the reason the 2024 proposal is so much larger than the one from a year before is because of the different limitations for the different categories of levies.

When voters rejected the 2023 levy request, the district announced it would have to make a host of sweeping reductions, including the closure of multiple schools. Ultimately, the district changed its plans when Mayo Clinic announced it would make a $10 million donation to the district's operations.

In light of those consequences that almost resulted from the failure of the previous referendum, school board member Justin Cook emphasized on Tuesday that it would be important to communicate to the public what is at stake if a second levy fails at the ballot.

"I'm sure our community will want to be able to analyze it in the context of what they would be losing," Cook said. "Our community greatly values stability and predictability."

Board Chairwoman Cathy Nathan emphasized the importance of the public's support for the proposed levy. Like Pekel, she reiterated the outlook for the district if it is unable to secure more funding through a referendum.

"Thanks to the Mayo Clinic for giving us that extra time to be able to come up with a longer-term plan, and now we have it," Nathan said. "I think it's important to also reinforce that there are no other knights in shining armor coming."