The question on the ballot invites voters to consider increasing our district’s general education revenue by $876.00 per pupil for 10 years, taking into account an inflationary factor, with the first payment scheduled for 2026.

No, this is not necessarily your cost. The amount your property taxes will increase varies based on your property's value. The median value of a residential home in the district is $189,300. The estimated tax change in 2026 for this home would be $198.33 per year, or $16.53 per month or $0.54 per day if the ballot question is approved. Your property's Referendum Market Value would need to be over $800,000 to see an increase of $876 per year.

Grab your tax valuation notice from the assessor’s office, and use the calculator linked under the “Tax Impact” tab to get an estimate of your individual tax impact for the first year. You’ll need to enter your Referendum Market Value, which you can find near the bottom of your valuation notice.

Your Estimated Market Value is the assessor's valuation of your property, while your Referendum Market Value is a separate, more limited tax base used specifically for voter-approved levies, such as this proposed operating referendum.

No.

Properties with the following classifications would have NO tax impact if the operating levy is approved: 

• Agricultural Non-Homestead

• Seasonal/Recreational (e.g, cabins)

Properties with the following classifications would have a tax impact if the operating levy is approved: 

• Residential Homestead & Non-Homestead

• Agricultural Homestead (but only on the value of your house, garage, and ONE (1) acre of land)

• Commercial/Industrial

• Apartments (4+ units) 

No. There will be NO referendum tax on agricultural non-homestead property. For property classified as agricultural homestead, you will be taxed based on your Referendum Market Value, which only includes the value of your house, garage, and one (1) acre.

There will be NO referendum taxes paid for seasonal/recreational residential property (e.g, cabins) nor the value of the agricultural land and buildings.

Based on our enrollment projections, this new levy would generate approximately $500,000 in additional funding for the first year, with an inflation adjustment for years 2-10. 

No. This is not a building bond referendum. Instead, this is an operating referendum, which helps fund the day-to-day operations of the district. This includes teacher and staff salaries and benefits, supplies, utilities, curriculum, transportation, co-curriculars, and so much more.

Over 90% of Minnesota school districts rely on voter-approved funds to support student learning. While the district has had a voter-approved operating levy in place for several years, we've worked hard to keep the dollar amount per pupil low. Currently, Fillmore Central has the lowest operating levy per student when compared to other local school districts that also receive funding through an operating levy. 

There is a comparison chart under the “The Ask and Our Challenges” page.

If the proposed operating levy is approved, this homeowners’ tax bill would rise to about $605, which is still lower than most nearby districts, with Fillmore Central remaining in the lower half. 

Current estimates for the inflationary factor suggest the rate will remain within the 2% range for the next 7 years. Please be aware that these estimates are updated annually to more accurately reflect what is happening in the economy. Additionally, the accuracy of estimates tends to decrease the further we look into the future.

Fillmore Central continues to see declining enrollment which, results in a loss of general fund revenues from the state. Fortunately, our enrollment remains steady enough that revenues still support many expenses; however, revenues and fund balances won’t be able to keep up with rising expenses due to the costs of inflation. If approved, this additional funding would be used to maintain our current day-to-day operations into the future.

• Recently, two elementary classroom teaching positions were eliminated. In the ‘24-25 school year, the two elementary classrooms had a 17:1 and a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio. In the ‘25-’26 school year these same classes have a 25:1 and 23:1 student-to-teacher ratio.  In the past we were fortunate to keep our student-to-teacher ratios low; however, decreases in revenue have resulted in the need for a reduction in teaching positions.

• For 8 years, all Fillmore Central students have been able to participate in activities, free of charge. Beginning in the ‘25-’26 school year, activity fees have been reinstated. Fees were reinstated at the same rate families were last charged during the ‘16-’17 school year. Currently, the fees are waived for families who qualify for free meals and the fees are reduced by half for families who qualify for reduced-price meals.

• A 3.75% software administration fee has been added to all online payments processed through RevTrak. For several years, the district absorbed this cost; however, during the May school board meeting, the board approved passing a portion of the cost on to users of this service. To avoid the fee, payments can still be made by check or cash and sent via mail or dropped off at any school office.