MN voters overwhelmingly approve school constitutional amendment

Minnesotans voted overwhelmingly to approve a constitutional amendment that will provide millions more dollars for K-12 public schools in the state.

According to election officials, out of 2.8 million estimated voters, nearly 73% voted yes to the constitutional amendment.

The amendment asked voters whether the Minnesota Constitution should be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund. Supporters of the amendment emphasize the proposal would not increase property or income taxes.

Currently, Minnesota schools get a total of $58 million from the fund. The constitutional amendment will raise the contribution to schools by $33 per pupil for each school, taking the fund's current contribution of $68 per pupil to $101 per pupil.

For school districts like Minneapolis, it's estimated to bring nearly $949,000 in additional funds, according to Vote Yes for MN Students. For a smaller district like Orono, that number is more than $96,000.

"It could be saving a program, it could be saving a teacher, could be buying basketballs or pencils," said Paul Peltier, campaign chair for Vote Yes for MN Students.

"It might mean that the schools don't have to sacrifice dollars that would be going into teachers or programs," said Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton.

The Minnesota State Board of Investment manages the funds generated from school trust lands' mining and timber leases. Since 2017, the fund has nearly doubled from $1.3 billion to $2.4 billion.

Minnesota's permanent school fund was set up in 1858 when the federal government gave the new state of Minnesota land to fund education.

Schools will start to receive funds in March of 2027, Kunesh said.