Board split on proposed levy amount

The Kasson-Mantorville School Board used a June 29 special meeting to put a funding referendum question on the ballot in November, but the 5-2 vote indicates some concerns.
Debate on the referendum, which would stop painful cuts at the district, centered around two options: a $400- or $500-per student levy amount.
Ultimately, board members Denise Heidt, Patrick Madery, Eric Mesa, Aaron Stockard and Mark Torkelson voted in favor of the $500 option, with Elizabeth Armstrong and Kate Ryan voting against.
Armstrong and Ryan expressed concerns that the $500 per student levy amount would not pass when put to the voters, with the district’s previous community survey showing a weighted average of 37.75% of the community supporting the $500 per student referendum option.
That $500 per student option would add an additional $1.07 million to the district’s operating budget. Median estimated market value properties at $350,000 would see an annual $269 property tax increase.
The results of the community survey were presented at the June 15 meeting, which showcased divided community support for any referendum, with that support dropping as the price tag grew.
The district sent out 4,718 postcards to local residents and received 1,929 responses. Of the responses, 89% were residents in the Kasson-Mantorville school district, with 71% of respondents being residents in the cities of Kasson and Mantorville and 70% of respondents having at least one child attending the school district.
Less than half of respondents, 49%, advised the school district to explore a referendum to balance the budget, with that number falling to 45% for non-parent, non-district staff residents.
When presented with different options for the size of the referendum, however — including the district making cuts to staff, programs and services — a weighted 54.75% of respondents supported a $857,705 operating referendum, or $400 increase per student for the next 10 years.
That amount would translate to a roughly $215 annual increase to property taxes for the average home price in the district. The referendum would still require the district to explore budget cuts annually to balance the budget, according to the school planning survey results.
The survey showed that community support for larger referendums dropped with weighted averages of 37.75% supporting a $1.072 million or $500 per student referendum, and 21% of respondents supporting a $1.286 million or $600 per student referendum.
Superintendent Beth Giese said she has been in districts in statutory operating debt and with declining enrollment, but that “I feel like I can make anything work,” regarding future budgeting.
“Whatever you decide to do as a governing board, I will get it through,” Giese told the board before their vote.