Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR SCHOOL’S CHALLENGES

  • Badger Community School is holding a referendum in response to several financial challenges that impact our ability to protect current personnel levels, student resources, and adequate learning spaces. If approved, the referendum will address these challenges.

    Our school faces a budget deficit of about $500,000, largely due to lagging state funding. The state provides most of our school’s funding, but it has consistently lagged behind the inflation rate for over two decades. Without additional funding, our school will be forced to cut personnel and student services to balance the budget and avoid deficit spending.

    Our school is also significantly undersized relative to its student population. Our square footage per student is over 35% lower than neighboring districts and among the lowest of any district in the state. Limited space and aging infrastructure impact our ability to flexibly adapt to the educational needs of our students and community.

  • Yes. In the past years, the budget gap has been filled using reserve funds. This has allowed our school to keep staff levels steady and protect student resources while advocating for additional state funding. However, these funds will be nearly depleted after this year.

  • Yes. School districts across Minnesota are struggling to maintain their investments in education amidst inadequate state funding. Today, over 70% of school districts have voter-approved levies to help pay for learning services that state funding cannot cover. Neighboring districts such as Goodridge, Greenbush-Middle River, and Roseau have all passed voter-approved referendums in the last five years to combat these challenges.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS

  • Starting in 2022, our district began taking several steps to understand the extent of our school’s challenges and what is needed to address them. These steps included:

    • Budget projections to determine future funding needs.

    • Seven public listening sessions to identify the top needs of our school building. 

    • Third-party analysis of our district’s current and projected enrollment.

    • An educational adequacy study to determine how our learning spaces compare to guidelines set by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). 

    • Creation of a Community Action Committee (CAC) to help the school board determine the best long-term solution for our school.

    In addition to seeking feedback from school stakeholders and community members, our school worked closely with ICS, a school facilities expert, and public financing experts at Baird to ensure the proposed plan provides value to taxpayers and meets our school's needs.

  • Yes. The school board carefully considered several referendum options and their potential impacts. The plan that residents will vote on was chosen as the best option to address the needs of both our budget and school facilities.

    Other funding sources were incorporated into the plan, such as the state’s Ag2School tax credit and Debt Equalization Aid. If voters approve, these sources will cover approximately 66% of the total debt payments for Question Three.

  • While state funding increased slightly in 2023, it was accompanied by expensive spending mandates that limited how schools could invest those resources. This fundamentally failed to provide the financial resources that school districts like ours need to meet the needs of all students.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PLAN

  • On Tuesday, November 5, Badger Public School District will vote on a referendum that aims to strengthen student learning, avoid budget cuts, and invest in learning spaces at Badger Community School.

    The referendum will ask voters to consider three ballot questions:

    • Questions One and Two ask voters to consider two operating levies. If approved, each operating levy question would provide $967.93 per-pupil annually for a 10-year term. This funding would directly support classroom materials, educational curriculum, teaching positions, and other student learning support. 

    • Question Three asks voters to consider a $15.23 million building bond to renovate existing rooms to expand learning areas and build new spaces for technical education and athletics.

  • Questions One and Two (the operating levies) seek to address our district’s budget shortfall. Passing one of the questions would provide our district with funding to reduce our budget deficit, limit future budget cuts, and protect existing student services and staffing levels over the short term. Passing both questions would provide our district with long-term budget stability over the next several years, mitigate future budget cuts, and further protect existing student services for the next decade. 

    Question Three (the building bond) seeks to ensure our school is equipped to serve the next generations of learners by optimizing our existing spaces and adding new space for technical education, athletics, and special education. If approved, Question Three would:

    • Repurpose the existing 5th-grade classroom into a flex space.

    • Repurpose the existing music room into a 5th-grade classroom.

    • Renovate the existing gymnasium into new rooms for music, a new media center, and a technology office.

    • Repurpose the existing media center for Special Education. 

    • Repurpose the existing weight room/locker rooms to provide space for storage. 

    • Renovate restrooms to meet handicap and ADA accessibility.

    • Build an addition to the technical education shop to provide room for small engine, welding, and metalwork classes.

    • Build a new gymnasium with one full-sized court and two junior high-sized cross courts, with new locker rooms, storage, and a weight room.

    • Add space near the new gymnasium for concessions and restrooms.

    • Install a cooler/freezer to provide additional food storage capacity in the kitchen/cafeteria. 

    • Make HVAC system improvements to improve air quality and energy efficiency, including a new boiler system.

    • Make parking lot improvements.

  • If all three questions are rejected, our district must make budget cuts to reduce costs and avoid deficit spending. These cuts will affect school personnel and current student resources. Our district will also be unable to complete improvements to our learning spaces, and our school building’s needs will remain unaddressed.

    If only one operating levy passes (Questions One and Two), our district will maintain staffing and student services in the short term. However, some budget cuts will still likely be made, and our district will need to request another operating levy soon.

    If only Question Three passes, our district will make critically needed updates to our buildings that will benefit students but will need to cut other student services and personnel to address the budget deficit.

  • A bond referendum is an election to decide whether a school district should incur debt by issuing bonds to fund improvements to its school buildings. Bonds give school districts the ability to make large-scale improvements immediately while paying off the cost of the investments over a longer period of time, like a mortgage. Annual payments on the investment are made using property tax revenue. These taxes are assessed on all properties based on their assessed market value.

    An operating levy referendum is an election to decide whether to approve local funding for a school district's general operations, such as staff compensation, learning curriculum, classroom supplies, facility operations, and other educational expenses. Homeowners, apartment owners, and businesses in the district pay operating levies based on their property's assessed market value. 

  • The school board decided to propose two equal operating levies to give residents a choice between a short-term solution and a long-term solution to our district’s funding gap. By comparison, a single operating levy would have been an “all or nothing” plan and put the district at greater risk of a large budget deficit.

    If voters approve only one operating levy, our district will at least be able to maintain many services in the short term. If both operating levies pass, our district will have the funding to maintain services and keep staff levels steady for the foreseeable future.

  • If approved, Question Three will invest approximately $5.25 million to optimize existing spaces and complete maintenance in the existing Badger Community School building. This includes renovating bathrooms to improve handicap accessibility and repurposing the existing gymnasium into additional space for classrooms, group work, and the media center. The outdated HVAC system – including the boiler – would also be replaced to improve air quality and energy efficiency.

  • Yes. In 2020, district residents approved a capital projects levy—also known as a technology levy—to provide dedicated funding for learning technology in our schools. This support has been instrumental in improving student learning flexibility, modernizing our curriculum, and teaching students the digital skills they need to succeed in today’s workforce. Voters also renewed our district’s existing operating levy for an additional term.

  • Yes. Regardless of whether the bond referendum (Question Three) is approved, our district will use funding received from the state’s Long-Term Facility Maintenance (LTFM) program to replace aging windows and doors throughout our school building. LTFM funds cannot be used to pay for renovations or additions to our school, but if Question Three is approved, these improvements will be made at the same time.

  • A strong school promotes strong families and businesses, stimulating economic growth in our community and creating job opportunities. Our school also serves as a hub for community education, events, and athletics, fostering residents' sense of belonging. New investments - or a lack of them - in schools can significantly influence these impacts.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TAX IMPACT

  • Approved referendum questions will be paid for with a tax increase on properties within our school district. If approved:

    • The tax impact of Question One on an average residential home valued at $150,000 would be $35.65 per month.

    • The tax impact of Question Two on an average residential home valued at $150,000 would be $35.65 per month.

    • The tax impact of Question Three on an average residential home valued at $150,000 would be $37.31 per month

    The combined tax impact of all three ballot questions on an average residential home valued at $150,000 would be $108.61 per month. To see the tax impact on your property, use our Tax Calculator.

  • No. Levies for Questions One and Two would remain in effect for a 10-year term, subject to an extension by the school board in 2034. The levy for Question Three would remain in effect for a 20-year term or until bonds for the project have been paid off, whichever is sooner. Taxes for the approved investments would take effect beginning with taxes payable in 2025.

  • Yes. Minnesota offers multiple tax credits and deferrals that can reduce the tax impact of an approved referendum, such as the Minnesota Homestead Credit Refund, Special Property Tax Refund, and the Senior CitizenProperty Tax Deferral. These credits and deferrals are subject to additional qualifications based on age, income, and tax burden.

  • Yes, but only for Question Three. Question Three is eligible for two forms of state aid – the Ag2School Tax Credit and Debt Equalization Aid.

    The Ag2School Tax Credit is a 70% tax credit for school bond referendum taxes, such as the bond for Question Three of the referendum. The credit applies to bond referendum taxes on all agricultural property except the house, garage, and one acre surrounding an agricultural homestead. It is a dollar-for-dollar credit with no application required. Debt Equalization Aid is provided to districts that meet certain requirements, and is used to repay debt for school building construction and/or renovations.​

    If Question Three is approved, Ag2School credits would pay for approximately 23%, and Debt Equalization Aid would pay for approximately 43% of the project’s total debt service payments. Combined, the State of Minnesota would pay approximately 66% of Question Three’s total debt service payments. These sources of state aid are already factored into the projected tax impact for property owners.

  • The Ag2School Tax Credit is a 70% tax credit for school bond referendum taxes, such as the bond for Question Three of the referendum. The credit applies to bond referendum taxes on all agricultural property except the house, garage, and one acre surrounding an agricultural homestead. It is a dollar-for-dollar credit with no application required.

  • Approximately 66% of the debt payments toward Question Three’s $15.23 million principal will be paid for by the state’s Ag2School and Debt Equalization Aid programs. The remainder will be funded by property taxes. Both Ag2School and Debt Equalization Aid ultimately reduce the taxes owed by property owners. These impacts are factored into the projected tax impacts for residents. To see the most accurate projections for how the referendum - including Question Three - will impact your taxes, please use the tax calculator found here.

  • If approved, funds from the operating levies (Questions One and Two) would be added to the district’s general fund, which can be used at the school board's discretion for general operating expenses such as classroom materials, staff salaries, transportation, and overhead.

    Funds from the building bond (Question Three) can only be used for the proposed improvements to our school building outlined by the ballot question. These funds must remain separate from our school’s general fund and could not be used to pay for school operations.

  • The tax impact was calculated with the help of our district’s financial consultant, Baird Financial, based upon the per-pupil amount of the proposed operating levies and the principal amount of the proposed bonds, relative to the value of property in our school district. 

    To understand your estimated tax impact if the bond referendum is approved, a tax calculator is available at BetterForBadger.org/tax-impact. For additional information about the specific tax impact breakdown of Question Three, you can view our district’s Review & Comment, a formal document required by the Minnesota Department of Education for any bond referendum.

  • Not necessarily. When considering year-to-year changes, individual tax impacts are determined by a property’s value relative to the value of all taxable property in our school district. This means that your tax impact will only rise if your property’s value increases at a greater rate than the rest of the property in our district. However, if your property’s value rises at a slower rate than other property in our district, your tax impact would actually decrease for that year.

QUESTIONS ABOUT VOTING

  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. The referendum questions will appear on the same ballot as the general election.

  • Yes! Early voting is available via absentee ballot or in person, except for registered voters in mail-ballot precincts.

    In-person early voting is available at the Roseau County Courthouse from Friday, September 20, through Monday, November 4 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Absentee ballots can be requested at the MN Secretary of State’s website.

    Once you have applied for a ballot, a ballot will be mailed to you. To learn more about early voting or how to request an absentee ballot, visit BetterForBadger.org/vote.

  • The majority of voting precincts in our school district are mail-ballot only. These include the townships of Barnett, Dieter, Huss, Moose, Nereson, Pohlitz, Poplar Grove, Skagen, Stafford, and Stokes. Registered voters in these precincts will be automatically mailed a ballot to complete and return before Election Day. 

    If you live in one of these precincts and are NOT registered to vote, please request an absentee ballot by completing the application found here or by completing an absentee ballot at the Roseau County auditor’s office. Voters in mail ballot precincts are NOT able to vote in person on Election Day.

  • Residents can vote at their respective polling locations between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. You can find your polling location using the Secretary of State’s poll finder.

    Voters who live in mail ballot precincts will not be able to vote in person on Election Day.

  • Use the contact form on the Connect page to reach out to us if you have a question you don’t see answered here. You can also contact Superintendent Dan Carpenter at dcarpenter@badger.k12.mn.us.