With a week to go before voters take to the polls, supporters of the school district’s excess levy referendum are still looking for opponents, but none have emerged on the local level.

Monday, October 29, 2001

With a week to go before voters take to the polls, supporters of the school district’s excess levy referendum are still looking for opponents, but none have emerged on the local level.

&uot;We’ve been focusing our efforts on getting the facts out to community organizations and service clubs,&uot; said Dr. David Prescott, superintendent of Albert Lea Area Schools. &uot;I think we’ve been getting a fair and generally positive reception from everyone so far.&uot;

Prescott has delivered more than 40 informational presentations about the referendum, and he is not aware of any local organized opposition to the levy request that would add $1.7 million to the budget next year.

&uot;We’re getting plenty of tough questions about our spending and our priorities, but very few people we’ve talked to seem willing to discard the idea of the levy without first looking at it carefully,&uot; he said.

In fact, most community organizations seem to support the referendum. The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce favors the extra funding, as well as Greater Jobs, Inc., two groups that may best represent local business interests. Executive Director Allen Pelvit said healthy schools and healthy businesses generally go hand in hand.

&uot;Our members have expressed support for the schools. I think business people, many of whom have children in school, do not want to see big budget cuts like we’ve seen in some other districts,&uot; he said.

In addition to the business community, a citizen’s group called Kids II Committee is actively raising money for fliers and mailings. Albert Lea’s local politicians also support the referendum – both Rep. Dan Dorman and Sen. Grace Schwab say they will vote for it.

Local political organizations like the Freeborn County Republicans are leaving it up to the individuals.

&uot;We tend to get more involved in statewide political issues and elections and try to stay out of extremely local issues in the city, county and schools,&uot; said Jen Brist, Freeborn County Republicans co-chair and a kindergarten teacher in the district. &uot;I’m sure you could find people on both sides of the referendum issue within our group.&uot;

A few statewide organizations have come out against the general idea of added levies and are cautioning voters to carefully scrutinize their local district’s spending habits. The Taxpayers League of Minnesota, for example, is referring to the referendum trend as the &uot;school tax grab&uot; and questions whether 179 of the state’s 341 districts truly need more operating revenue.

The basic argument: Don’t undermine the tax cuts passed by the legislature before property owners even notice the impact.

The Minnesota Education League (MEL), a non-profit, non-partisan group that seeks higher student achievement, more accountability and more parental choice in education, is one group that subscribes to the argument.

&uot;Too many school districts spin it as though they’re doing their residents a favor by allowing them to still get a net property tax cut, even if the proposed referendums were to pass,&uot; said Morgan Brown, MEL executive director. &uot;In reality, voters are not doing anyone a favor by giving away their new property tax cut for increased school spending before they’ve seen a dollar of it.&uot;

Brown said each district must show a funding crisis despite sound fiscal management.

&uot;If school districts cannot demonstrate they have managed their existing resources responsibly and planned carefully before proposing a referendum, voters should have serious doubts about the need for a new levy or whether the additional dollars will be put to good use.&uot;

There may be opposition to the spate of levy referendums at the top of Minnesota’s government.

During his radio show on WCCO last week, Gov. Jesse Ventura said he will probably vote against the excess levy referendum in his own local district, Osseo School District #279, which has asked for a $14 million in operating funds. He accused the district of circulating misleading tax-impact statements that attempted to hide the net tax cuts that property owners would realize without passing a referendum.

&uot;If they need the money, and I’m not saying it is or it isn’t for a good cause or not – I’m not making that judgment – but if it’s so rightfully needed, they ought to be able to stand up and say, ‘Yes, and it’s going to increase your property taxes’ instead of trying to be misleading,&uot; Ventura said.

If every levy referendum passes this year, combined with city and county increases across the state, Ventura said the tax relief passed by the legislature in the last session would be eroded by about one third – that’s about $300 million of the $900 million in tax cuts and tax breaks.

But Prescott is not so concerned about the brand of outright opposition to the referendum expressed by the governor. He’s more concerned about local voter apathy, especially given the fact that the school referendum is the only item on the ballot.

&uot;I think the support is out there for the levy referendum. We’ve tried to show that this request is justifiable,&uot; he said. &uot;But, supporters have got to show up at the polls if there’s any chance to pass this.&uot;