The Challenges We Face
Our district will face a $19.4 million shortfall over the next 18 months
For the past three years, Rochester Public Schools has made hard decisions to use funding efficiently while implementing an aggressive strategic plan to raise student achievement. We have made major budget cuts that resulted in the elimination of 156 teacher and staff positions:
2022-2023: $7 million cut
2023-2024: $14 million cut
2024-2025: $10 million one-time gift from Mayo Clinic and the use of $7 million in budget reserves postpone further cuts
2025-2026: $19.4 million projected deficit.
As the cost of education continues to rise, we face a critical question:
How do we continue to provide a quality education without adequate and stable funding?
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How did we get here?
Since 2021, the district has cut more than $21 million from the budget, including eliminating more than 150 staff positions.
These cuts have impacted class sizes, reduced services for students and prompted a proposal to close three schools.
One-time dollars provided by the federal government during COVID expire this year, which means a wide range of support positions, including counselors and social workers, will no longer have funding.
A one-time donation from Mayo Clinic helped the district delay major cuts but it does not address our long-term budget challenges.
State funding lags behind rising education costs.
While there was a slight increase in state funding for education last year, it was coupled with expensive mandates that limited how schools could use the funding and failed to provide the long-term financial stability we need for our students.
For more than 20 years, state funding has not reflected the rising costs of education. Rochester Public Schools is the seventh largest school district by enrollment in Minnesota, but it ranks last in voter-approved levy funding to support school operations, compared to districts with over 10,000 students across the state.Rochester Public Schools ranks last in voter-approved funding compared to districts with over 10,000 students in Minnesota.
Across Minnesota, 70% of school districts rely on funding from local operating levies to help cover the costs of student services and educational programs.
District Name | 2024-2025 Estimated Adjusted Pupil Units | 2024-2025 Per Pupil Dollar Operating Referendum | 2024-2025 Per Pupil Dollar Amount of Capital Projects Referendum | 2024-2025 Total Voter Approved Operating Funding |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bloomington (ISD271) | 10,933 | $2,157 | $1,036 | $3,193 |
Minnetonka (ISD 276) | 12,363 | $2,203 | $747 | $2,950 |
Wayzata (ISD 284) | 14,184 | $2,163 | $771 | $2,934 |
Minneapolis (SDD 1) | 29,185 | $2,304 | $586 | $2,890 |
Osseo (ISD 279) | 23,232 | $2,181 | $581 | $2,762 |
Robbinsdale (ISD 281) | 11,522 | $2,149 | $577 | $2,726 |
South Washington County (ISD 833) | 20,749 | $1,994 | $241 | $2,235 |
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan (ISD 196) | 31,644 | $1,886 | $270 | $2,156 |
Mounds View (ISD 621) | 12,471 | $2,089 | $0 | $2,089 |
Lakeville (ISD 194) | 13,444 | $1,771 | $292 | $2,063 |
Elk River (ISD 728) | 15,253 | $1,465 | $0 | $1,465 |
Anoka Hennepin (ISD 11) | 42,078 | $1,128 | $142 | $1,270 |
Saint Paul (ISD 625) | 33,457 | $1,131 | $0 | $1,131 |
North Saint Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale (ISD 622) | 11,192 | $999 | $0 | $999 |
Rochester (ISD 535) | 18,296 | $943 | $0 | $943 |
AVERAGE | 20,000 | $1,771 | $350 | $2,121 |