Important Facts About the Farmington Area Public Schools Operating Levy Election Scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2024:
The decision by the school board to schedule the operating levy election came after months of consideration and discussion. The district has realigned the budget for the past 4 years, including reductions and the use of fund balance dollars, to meet the requirement of having a balanced budget. The amount of reductions and realignments for each year are listed below:
2021-2022 - $700,000
2022-2023 - $1,050,000
2023-2024 - $2,400,000
$4.1 million in reductions
2024-2025 - $2,700,000
(a one-time use from the assigned fund balance)
Projected 2025-26 Deficit : $4-5 Million
Because of past reductions and projected deficit, it was important to offer district residents the opportunity to consider increasing funding for the district rather than facing additional reductions in the next few years.
WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT
The proposal on the ballot will ask voters to:
Revoke the district’s existing operating levy of $696.15 per pupil and replace it with a new levy of $1,556.15 per pupil.
- If approved, the new levy would provide approximately $11 million ($5 million from previous levy and $6 million from new levy) per year for 10 years.
IF APPROVED
If approved, the revenue from the new levy will help the district to:
- maintain current learning opportunities, programs and services for district students
- lower class size by decreasing learner to staff ratio
- invest additional resources in math, literacy, and elementary enrichment
- stabilize funding
IF NOT APPROVED
If the operating levy is not approved, the district will need to make significant budget reductions likely to include, but not limited to:
- reducing non-classroom support
- increasing learner to staff ratio, resulting in larger class sizes
- eliminating post-secondary learning opportunities at Farmington High School, such as MNCAPS, ISD 917/DCTC CTE, and similar programs
- reducing the number of electives available at the middle school level and team planning through a schedule change
- eliminating 5th grade band
- increasing athletics/activities fees and reducing non-conference travel
- limiting user group rental of ISD 192 spaces and increasing rental fees
TAX IMPACT INFORMATION
If the operating levy is approved in November, school property taxes for district residents with a home valued at $350,000 will increase by about $35.50 per month. However, the long-range tax impact of the operating levy will be significantly reduced in the coming years.
- In 2027-2028, a previously-approved bond levy (used to build FHS and remodel RVES to an elementary school) will expire resulting in a reduction in school property taxes of $383 per year or $31.92 per month on a $350,000 home.
- Residents will see another drop in school property taxes in 2031-2032 when another bond levy (deferred maintenance) will expire resulting in an additional decrease of $683 per year or $56.92 per month.
Learn more about the tax impact here.