Board Authority 2024

Every fall, cities, municipalities, and counties set their budgets, review projects, and assess taxes to fund necessary work. This enables local governments to respond quickly and appropriately to infrastructure demands and essential services.  School districts undertake a similar process and occasionally use Board Authority to levy funds for essential projects that support district health. 

Bonding is most frequently referred to when discussing new construction projects.  However, the scale of these large projects can sometimes overshadow the imperative need to maintain existing facilities.  Maintenance projects are often much smaller in size; however, if not addressed, they can significantly add up over time. Over the past three months, the DC school board has received a deep understanding of our maintenance needs and discussed ways to protect our district's largest physical asset: our school buildings.

In 2022 our community approved a bond that enabled the school board to address several key projects, both in renovating classroom spaces and addressing maintenance issues.  Yet, to fulfill additional maintenance obligations and ensure our schools’ long-term sustainability, a new Board Authority Bond is required. 

The State of Minnesota recognizes the ability to fund maintenance projects falls short of the actual need. As cities and counties levy for needed repairs to roads, buildings, and other public assets, school boards have been given the authority to levy critical infrastructure or safety improvements. Investing in our school facilities is an investment in our community’s future.  Without these critical repairs, we risk compromising the long-term learning environment of our students.

Our district’s newest school building recently turned 50 years old and has served our community well. While the district has done its best to maintain the building with the funds allocated by the state, the amount provided is insufficient to support the necessary upkeep fully. There are several urgent maintenance issues required to ensure the building functions as it should for the next 50 years.

Identified Needs:

• Update High School and Middle School fire alarms to meet current standards

• Sealing of building envelope to ensure water doesn’t enter the building and prevent further eroding 

• Install fire suppression system in the middle school 

• North side of HS drainage and road repair

• Fresh air to the locker rooms

• 6 Air handling units

In summary, the Board Authority Levy is crucial for ensuring the safety, longevity, and functionality of our school facilities. By securing the necessary funds for critical maintenance and updates, we are not only investing in the present but also making a commitment to the future, guaranteeing our students have safe, reliable, and well-maintained schools for many years to come. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

1) What is the state statute that the board-approved bond can be approved by without going to the public for a vote?

• Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.1812 to 469.1815 - Abatement authority for infrastructure (parking lots for schools)

• Minnesota Statutes, 123B.595 Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue

2) Per state statute, what sort of projects can be completed with this type of funding?

• The cost of energy modifications;

• Improving disability accessibility to school buildings;

• Bringing school buildings into compliance with life, safety, and fire codes and

• Modifying buildings and equipment for security.

3) Was there a cap on the amount?

• There is a cap on the abatement levy based on the total tax capacity of our district, of which this levy is well below the maximum capacity.  

4) Why wasn't this included with the last bond?

• In the past two years, due to construction projects, the Board has received more information concerning our facilities and the current state of the district.

• Without this information, the board did what it thought was right by constructing a bond that addressed educational needs and a few facility needs.

• The Board wanted to stay below $20 million and thought that by adding some maintenance projects to the bond, they were doing the right thing.

5) You paid SiteLoqIQ to provide a district assessment of facilities; why didn’t they find these issues?

• SiteLogIQ presented a comprehensive report detailing all the areas in which improvement was needed.  Ultimately, the board selected $18 million for the bond amount. 

6) Have we put a list of projects that this bond will cover and the cost of each specific project on the website?

• All the projects covered in this project are listed in our LTFM (long-term facilities maintenance) 10-year plan. We are in the process of updating the plan to reflect projects covered by the new levy.

7) Why is it important to continually invest in building maintenance?

• The school buildings are the district's largest physical asset, and caring for them is crucial for student learning, safety, and well-being.

• The district has not been able to keep up with maintenance due to a lack of funding from the state.

• Our Buildings and Grounds Director has helped share a deeper understanding of the state of our school district facilities. He has helped articulate the necessity and value of maintenance projects.

• These repairs are essential, and construction costs are unlikely to decrease.

8) Did we or you explain why the board went this path instead of allowing the community to vote on it?

• Over the past few months, the Board has held many conversations on this topic.  Conversations centered around the items on this list and essential maintenance that needs to be completed. These maintenance items are affecting the education of our students, and there is truly no option but to proceed with them.  The board was elected to be good stewards of the District's assets, and this is the right thing to do.

9) Will my taxes go up with this bond?

• Yes - This is a 7-year bond that will carry an impact of $223 dollars ($18/month) on the average house ($325,000) in the community.