Robbinsdale School District 281 Passes Levy Referendum

Voters approved an operating levy referendum on the Nov. 6 midterm ballot to provide Robbinsdale Area Schools District 281 with increased funding in order to keep pace with rising costs of education in the face of large district budget cuts.

The referendum passed in the face of a $10.6 million budget shortfall, the ramifications of which include larger class sizes and staff cuts. With one of the lowest voter-approved operating levies in the West Metro compared to similar districts, Robbinsdale District 281 has had to trim $16.8 million from its budget to manage inflation and discrepancies in state and federal funding.

The school board voted unanimously to place the levy on the ballot. Without it, the district would likely have faced more budget and staff cuts, and would have difficulty maintaining the quality of its academic and co-curricular programs, like the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.  

This is the first operating levy the district has asked voters to approve in 10 years.

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