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Rochester voters face school budget question
Voters in Rochester were tasked with deciding on a referendum that would have injected more than $19 million a year into the school district’s budget.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Voters in Rochester have passed a referendum that school district officials said is needed to help keep class sizes low, preserve employees and potentially keep schools from closing.
Find other election results here.
Vote results
A total of 39,838 people voted for the measure, allowing it to pass with 57% of the vote. The votes against the measure reached 30,058, or 43% of the total vote. You can find the results of the election here.
Rochester residents also elected three new school board members:
- Don Barlow earned 38,171 votes, or 68.53% of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 1.
- Karen MacLaughlin earned 33,577 votes, or 58.84% of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 3.
- Stephanie M. Whitehorn earned 31,830 votes, or 58.82% of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 7.
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Rochester Public Schools looks to close 3 schools
One of the largest school districts in Minnesota is looking to close three schools after voters rejected an operating levy.
Background
Rochester officials said the referendum will inject more than $19 million a year into the school district’s coffers, which would help prevent district building closures, among other efforts.
The measure will raise property taxes on a $350,000 home by $29 a month, according to the district.
A similar measure called for $10 million per year via a levy that would be focused exclusively on equipment and technology, but it failed in November 2023.
After voters rejected the measure, Mayo Clinic donated the $10 million, allowing the district to stave off school closures and avoid other cuts.
Throughout its last two years, the district has made $21 million in budget cuts already.