Friday Update, Sept. 30, 2022

Operating referendum 2022

Eden Valley-Watkins Schools is getting ready to ask voters for an increase to the existing operating referendum to keep district operations uninterrupted. This November, the school district will ask voters to approve an increase in its operating levy, which generates funding from taxpayers on a per-pupil basis. EV-W already has a minimal operating levy of $73 per pupil in place, and the district is ranked #307 of 327 Minnesota districts in general education revenue. If approved, the levy would increase by $387 per student, generating an additional $348,000 per year for school district operations. Visit Operating referendum Q & A at evw.k12.mn.us.

Our school board members and administrative team recognize the significance of this important decision, and make this request to ensure our continued tradition of academic excellence. We also value proactive communication, transparency, and the desire to keep our stakeholders informed of potential pitfalls created from inadequate and inequitable state funding. School districts in Minnesota get funding from a variety of sources, including federal, state, and local property taxes. 78% of Minnesota school districts, including EV-W, have voter approved operating levies in place to help fill the gap created by compounding inflation, un-funded mandates, and a lack of political willpower to correct the archaic funding formula. Visit District revenue at evw.k12.mn.us.

State funding has not kept up with inflation, leaving districts to rely more on local residents. According to Schools for Equity in Education, there is a gap of $1,605 per student between the actual funding schools get from the state and what they would get if the formula had kept up with inflation. Visit Basic formula and inflation at evw.k12.mn.us.

With your support of an increase of $387 per pupil to the existing levy, EV-W would still be on the lower end when compared to other area school districts of roughly the same size. If voters approve the new levy, its per-pupil amount would still be lower than ACGC’s $505, -Kimball’s $641, Maple Lake’s $712, and -Litchfield’s $725. 2022 Visit Area comparison – Operating referendum and 2021 Area comparison – Annual taxpayer cost at evw.k12.mn.us.

According to our public finance advisors at Ehlers Financial and the Meeker County Assessor’s Office, the proposed operating referendum increase would represent an additional $11.33 of taxes per month for the average EV-W home valued at $186,649. Visit Average EV-W home – Tax impact at evw.k12.mn.us.

Due to the inadequate and inequitable state funding formula the school district has been forced to spend down (deficit spend) our reserved fund balance and access COVID relief funding to avoid making cuts, each of the past two years. Deficit spending and tapping into reserve accounts is not a sustainable financial practice or a successful business model worth replicating. Therefore, we’re asking for your support of the proposed operating referendum to fill the existing financial gap, and avoid reductions to programs, services, and the staffing of our academic model of excellence.

If you have any questions or need additional information about the school funding request, please reach out to me:

• mmessman@evw.k12.mn.us

• (320) 453-2900, ext. 1143

Community meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18

• EV-W District Office, Door #13, Board Room at 6 p.m.

• Watkins Elementary School, Door #1, Conference Room at 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully, Mark Messman Superintendent