SPPS to ask voters to approve levy referendum November 2025

On May 20, 2025, the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) Board of Education  approved a resolution directing the district to prepare a recommendation for a voter-approved referendum to appear on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot. The recommended ballot language will be presented and acted on at the July 15 Board of Education meeting. A voter-approved referendum would provide needed additional revenue in support of Saint Paul Public Schools’ mission of providing a premier education to all students.

The board also discussed whether to increase their compensation. SPPS Board members currently earn $18,000 per year with an additional $2,000 annually for the chair of the board. The board did not take action and deferred the discussion back to the governance and operations workgroup.

Meeting recordings are posted on Eduvision following each meeting.

Here is the full resolution:

Resolution Directing Administration to
Prepare a Referendum Recommendation with Proposed Accompanying
Ballot Language to Provide Needed Additional Revenue in Support of Saint Paul
Public Schools’ Mission of Providing a Premier Education to All Students
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is committed to inspire its more than 33,000
students to think critically, pursue their dreams and change the world; and,
WHEREAS, fulfilling this commitment to students is fundamentally reliant upon adequate financial
resources and staffing; and,
WHEREAS, budget decisions are designed to support district goals and priorities for student
learning; and,
WHEREAS, district staff have taken several steps to reduce expenses and balance the budget,
including major cuts to district administration with a goal of limiting impacts to schools and
classrooms and guided by putting students first; and,
WHEREAS, State funding for public schools has not kept pace with inflation for the past 20 years,
creating a funding gap for SPPS exceeding $50 million per year. Moreover, the school district is
anticipating a budget shortfall of $51.1 million for the 2025-2026 school year; and,
WHEREAS, the district is planning to draw down its reserves by $34.9 million in the 2025-2026
year, and at least that much in the 2026-2027 year, leaving the district’s reserve balance far below
School Board Policy 701.01, and almost completely depleted; and,
WHEREAS, additional and significant reductions in programs and services will need to occur for
the 2026-2027 year and beyond in the absence of additional revenue; and,
WHEREAS, per student funding provided by the State of Minnesota has been consistently below
the rate of inflation and inadequate to fully fund the district’s core teaching and learning needs;
and,
WHEREAS, SPPS’s current per-student operating levy funding is among the lowest compared to
other local school districts and well below the metro average; and,
WHEREAS, in the absence of additional revenue, there will be a need to make additional budget
reductions in future years to maintain a structurally balanced budget, which will require at least
$35 million in cuts to staffing and programs across the district; and
WHEREAS, the state of Minnesota provides all school districts with the option of asking local
voters for additional funding through referendum elections; and,
BE IT RESOLVED that the School Board of Independent School District 625, Saint Paul Public
Schools, authorizes and directs the administration to prepare a recommendation regarding Voter
Approved Referendum request of district voters on the November 4, 2025, ballot, and to bring
said recommendation and proposed accompanying ballot language to the July 15, 2025, Board
meeting for Board consideration and action.