What November’s Tech Levy Vote Means For Robbinsdale Area Schools

Voters in the Robbinsdale Area School District will decide the fate of the district’s technology levy at the ballot box this November. 

The existing tax levy expires at the end of 2024. It was approved in 2014.

Voters have option to either renew or reject the levy, which helps pay for tech across the district ranging from laptops to security cameras.

Tech in Schools

Every student at Sonnesyn Elementary in New Hope gets their own tablet or laptop.

“At the elementary level we use a combination of iPads for our youngest students and Chromebooks for our older students,” said Matt Schneider, media specialist. “We find that a Chromebook doesn’t fit a kindergarten classroom very well and vise-versa.”

Students across the Robbinsdale district get these devices on a one-to-one basis. 

They’re used often in the classroom.

“Technology is a requirement in a modern classroom because technology influences everything from elections to recipes,” Schneider said.

Voters in the Robbinsdale Area School District will decide the fate of the district’s technology levy at the ballot box this November.

Ballot Question

Voters can expect to see the tech levy on their ballot, along with larger races like U.S. President and their local offices.

Superintendent Teri Staloch said the levy is the main funding stream for district tech.

“So we’re making a request of a straight renewal,” she said. “We’re not asking for additional funding, but a straight renewal, so our tax rate stays the same.”

The levy generates about $7 million per year. 

But it’s not just about laptops. The levy also helps pay for the district’s security needs.

“This technology levy can help support, or will help support making sure that we’ve got the cameras that we need,” Staloch said. “Making sure we’ve got a strong visitor management system, looking at our secure entrances and figuring out how to continue to support those.”

For the students, there’s a lot at stake. If the levy fails, it could mean budget cuts in the classroom or elsewhere in the district.

“This $7 million is critical, because without this funding stream, it would be $7 million that we need to take from our general fund to still do these things,” Staloch said. “$7 million less in the classroom and doing the other things that we need to ensure we’ve got excellent schools.”

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