Rochester voters to weigh in on $19.4 million school referendum

ROCHESTER – Voters will decide Tuesday whether to back a $19.4 million Rochester school district referendum that district officials say is needed to avoid deep cuts to next year's budget.

The request marks the second straight year that the district has put a referendum on the ballot. Last year's request for a $10.1 million technology levy failed by 318 votes, prompting Mayo Clinic to step in and make a onetime donation of $10 million to the district.

The district, the seventh-largest in the state with 17,300 students, says this year's operating referendum is needed to maintain a variety of programs and positions, including those supporting students struggling academically, accelerated learning opportunities, vocational training and mental health services.

If the referendum fails, the district has said it will need to make at least $16.7 million in cuts to next year's budget, including the closure of three elementary schools. Class sizes would also go up by three students across the board, the district said. Popular programs, including field trips to Mayo High School's planetarium and Quarry Hill Nature Center, could also be on the chopping block.

The district estimates the 10-year referendum would raise taxes on a $350,000 home by $29 a month. Because of changes made by the Legislature in 2023, the district would have the ability to extend the levy for another decade without voter approval, something it has already done with a 2015 voter-approved levy.

Among the groups that have come out in support of the referendum are the Rochester branch of the NAACP and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber said the referendum is needed to "ensure that Rochester remains competitive as a community."