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Staff writer

In addition to voting for four open school board seats, Spring Lake Park District 16 residents will find two operating levy questions on Tuesday’s general election ballot.

Should the questions fail to pass, school officials project as much as $2 million to $3 million in cuts for the next school year (2010-2011).

The district last sought a levy for learning vote in 2002.

The operating levy is not to be confused with a bond levy, which pays for bricks and mortar. Operating levy revenue is used for building operations.

Question one

The first question on the ballot would renew an existing levy for learning that would otherwise expire in 2009. This would not raise taxes.

Passage of the levy would continue the levy approved 10 years ago and voters would not see an increase in that portion of their school taxes.

If the levy is not renewed, the district stands to lose $330.67 per pupil unit spending of state funding in 2011 for a total of $1.7 million, based on calculation formulas and student enrollment.

Question two

 The second ballot question would revoke, renew and increase a second soon-to-be-expiring 10-year levy for learning approved by voters starting in 2002.  

This would increase taxes by $96 a year for the average home in the district with the assessed value of $200,000.

Homes assessed at $300,000 would pay an additional $145, while homes assessed at $450,000 would see an increase of $218 per year in the school portion of their property taxes.

Commercial/industrial property with an assessed value of $500,000 would see an increase of $242 a year and commercial/industrial properties assessed at $1 million would see an increase of $484.59 a year.

Even if the 1999 levy for learning is renewed, the district, next spring, will still need to consider up to $2 million in cuts, according to district officials.

If the levy is voted down, cuts could run as deep as $3 million.

Assistant Superintendent Jeff Ronneberg said in a September board meeting he did not know, at this point, how reductions could be kept from the classroom.

Because of the state’s two-year zero increase to schools, an annual gap of $1.5 million has resulted between the district’s expenditures and revenues.

Expenditures (fixed costs) continue to grow at an annual rate of 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 percent ($1.5 million to $1.8 million).

Since 2007, the average annual increase in state per student funding allowance, including this and next year, has been 0.35 percent, said Superintendent Don Helmstetter.

Mandates not supported

Also, District 16 receives nearly $3 million less per year for state and federally mandated special education and for English language learners than actual costs incurred.

“We have a commitment to do, but we haven’t been supported,” said Helmstetter in a September meeting with the board.

The school board last spring approved $1.5 million in cuts for the 2009-10 school year.

Helmstetter said the move provided a temporary reprieve for the school district.

The district’s budget is $58.4 million, with a general fund budget of $46.3 million for 2009-10, according to Amy Schultz, District 16 business manager.

Starting in September, several question and answer sessions about the levies for learning were held throughout the district for community members.

The district recently underwent a $95.9 million construction and improvement project to all of its buildings. Voters approved the renovations and new construction in a 2006 bond referendum.

District 16 serves about 4,600 students in Spring Lake Park, and parts of Blaine and Fridley.

Elyse Kaner is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it