During the pandemic, Minnesota school levy requests hit a 24-year low

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota voters last week signed off on just half of school districts’ requests for getting more money into classrooms, marking the lowest approval rate for operating levies in over two decades.

Out of the 34 districts that had put the question to voters, only 17 requests passed in this week’s election. That’s the lowest approval rate since 1996. The vast majority of approvals — 13 out of 17 — were renewals.

Greg Abbott, communications director for the Minnesota School Boards Association, said it’s tough for districts to raise awareness on funding requests during most presidential years — and it was “doubly difficult in a pandemic because of all the early voting,” he said.

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/education/6754606-During-the-pandemic-Minnesota-school-levy-requests-hit-a-24-year-low