Minneapolis is voting on a “technology levy” for the school district. Here’s what’s on the ballot:

SCHOOL DISTRICT QUESTION 1 (SSD #1)
Revoking existing technology capital project levy authorization; approving new authorization

The board of Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis Public Schools) has proposed to revoke the School District’s existing capital project levy (also known as the tech levy) authorization in the amount of 2.249% times the net tax capacity of the School District and to replace that authorization with a new capital project levy authorization in the amount of 4.728% times the net tax capacity of the School District. The proposed capital project levy authorization will raise approximately $38,142,202 for taxes payable in 2025, and would be authorized for ten (10) years. A portion of this new authorization will replace the school district’s existing authorization of $18,142,202 for taxes payable in 2025, which is scheduled to expire after taxes payable in 2025. The estimated total cost of the projects to be funded over that time period is approximately $381,422,020. The revenue from the proposed capital levy authorization will provide funds for the purchase, installation, and maintenance of technology systems, technology equipment, technology infrastructure and security, and technology support staffing. Shall the existing capital project levy authorization be revoked and the new capital project levy authorization proposed by the board of Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis Public Schools) be approved? BY VOTING “YES” ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING FOR A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.

So: a couple of things you should know, as a voter, about this levy.

1. It’s not funding anything new. There’s an existing levy to fund “technology” costs that’s not actually covering what the district is currently spending, so the money is coming out of the general fund. They’re asking city residents to revoke the current levy and replace it with a higher one, so the costs are covered.
   
2. Currently, about $35 million of the school district’s general fund goes towards technology costs. This levy would raise an additional $20 million, thus freeing up $20 million in the general fund for other stuff. (This article has a good explanation.)
   
3. “Technology costs” to the district include technology used by students but also things like the technology used by teachers; software for online gradebooks; all the staff who provide tech support to teachers; information security to try to avoid getting hacked again; even stuff like the software used by the school bus system.
   
4. The extra cost to property owners would be a little over $1/month for each $50,000 of value. There’s a calculator here that you can use to plug in your home value (or the value of other property you own) to see what this would cost you in additional property taxes. For people whose houses are valued under $350,000, the net increase is under $100 per year.

You can see a Frequently Asked Questions list from the school district here. (That’s where I found the link to the calculator.)

I would vote yes on this, as I have voted yes on every school district levy that’s come my way. I think there are valid concerns about the Minneapolis Public Schools, but none of them will be addressed by giving them less money.

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I do not have a Patreon or Ko-Fi but instead encourage people to donate to fundraisers I can then see fund. Usually I do teacher fundraisers (and I found one for this year, Ms. Pierce at Lucy Craft Laney school in North Minneapolis who would like donations to buy snacks for her students and supplies like Lysol wipes — stuff that schools with wealthier families just have the parents send in).

But I’m also fundraising for something slightly more personal to my family this year: YMCA Camp Northern Lights. Camp Northern Lights is a family camp, which is a camp that whole families attend together. My family went to Camp Du Nord (the other YMCA family camp) for many years, and my daughter Kiera has worked as a counselor at Camp Northern Lights for the last two summers. One of the things that makes Camp Northern Lights unique is their serious commitment to inclusion of families from communities that have been underrepresented at YMCA camps.

Last summer, Camp Northern Lights had a serious fire early in the summer — no one was hurt, but they lost their commercial kitchen and the housing for the counselors-in-training. They are hoping to raise enough money to rebuild an expanded kitchen. I have set up a fundraiser towards that goal. If you’d like to express your appreciation for the usefulness of this blog, you can show your love by donating to my fundraiser!