At its regular July 28 meeting, the Eastern Carver County School Board unanimously approved putting an operating referendum in front of voters in the Nov. 4, 2025 election.
Officials say the operating levy is a strategic investment in sustaining and building the district’s high quality educational and programming activities into the future.
The ballot question will read: The board of Independent School District No. 112 (Eastern Carver County), Minnesota, has proposed to increase the School District’s general education revenue by $742 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The proposed new referendum revenue authorization would be first levied in 2025 for taxes payable in 2026 and applicable for ten (10) years unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law.
If passed, funding received from the 2025 referendum will allow the district to continue the academic preparation of students, and invest in greater opportunities for all students, including enhanced gifted and talented services at the elementary level, mental health support at the high schools, and greater stability for the district’s fund balance to protect programs and services from enrollment shifts, financial fluctuations, unpredictability at the state and federal level, or other unforeseen circumstances.
“I am proud of the progress our district has made coming out of the pandemic and I believe we have strong momentum moving forward,” Board Chair Sean Olsen said. “As a community, the choice is now in our hands. We can continue our current path — maintaining our offerings and being able to make strategic investments in the people and programs that make our district unique — or we can choose a period of austerity where we place those things that make ECCS different at risk.”
The board spent recent months reviewing information, analyzing data and discussing district and building-level needs in deciding to pursue the referendum.
If the referendum is approved, according to district officials, the average homeowner (a $500,000 home) would see a tax impact of $23 per month, similar to the range of increase approved by voters in the previous operating referendum in 2021.
There will be one question on the Referendum ballot on Nov. 4. To learn more information about the planning that led to the referendum request, visit www.district112.org.
