Rochester School Board Public Hearing on Operating Levy Extension

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Members of the Rochester School Board have a evening ahead of them.

It starts with a special session that will include a public hearing concerning a proposal to extend the school district's existing operating levy for another 10 years. The state legislature last year approved a one time authorization for school districts to approve an extension of voter approved operating levies without a referendum.

The proposal, which is scheduled to come up for a vote during the school board's regular meeting this evening, would allow the school district to continue collecting the approximately $17 million in revenue generated by the levy through 2035. The special session the scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM.

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While it is not on the agenda today, Superintendent Kent Pekel has stated that he is preparing to recommend a referendum in either August or November to seek voter approval for a property tax increase to address the school district's existing structural budget deficit. A previous referendum for a technology levy that would have raised about $10 million per year failed last fall by a margin of a bit over 300 votes.

READ MORE: Rochester Schools Superintendent Responds to Rejection of Levy

A $10 million donation from Mayo Clinic allowed the school district to avoid another round of significant spending reductions for the next school year. Following that, Pekel has said the school district would be facing the need to make major cuts if additional revenues cannot be secured.

It's also expected that a new teachers contract will be presented to the school board this evening for ratification. The two-year agreement with the Rochester Education Association was ratified by the teachers last week. It increases the school district's costs by about 15%.