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If Voters Approve, Minnesota Schools Would Get More Money From a Trust Fund Dating to the State’s Founding
Backers say the change could lift school fund payouts to about 4.5% and add more support without raising taxes.
- Minnesota voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to increase school funding from the Permanent School Fund, established in 1858 and grown to $2.3 billion as of 2025.
- Minnesota's constitution caps distributions at 2.5% despite the fund averaging 8% investment returns over the last decade, prompting lawmakers and school groups to campaign for an amendment that could raise allocations to about 4.5%.
- A district with 2,000 students receiving $95 per pupil instead of $65 would get a $60,000 boost that might save a teacher or program. Minneapolis Public School District received nearly $2 million in 2025, while smaller districts typically take in hundreds of thousands annually.
- Unlike traditional funding measures, voting yes in November neither raises property taxes nor requires levy approval, and tapping more of the fund won't deplete it—particularly significant as schools averaged a 5.6% property tax levy increase this year.
- Republicans and Democrats will campaign together over summer and fall to educate voters, as constitutional amendments have succeeded 120 of 213 times in Minnesota. Sen. Mary Kunesh envisions distributions eventually reaching $300–$400 per pupil to fulfill the state's founding commitment to education.
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23 Articles
Duluth News Tribune+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
If voters approve, Minnesota schools would get more money from a trust fund dating to the state’s founding
A question on this fall’s ballot will ask voters to increase the percentage that can be taken from the Permanent School Fund, which helps districts shore up budgets.
·Cherokee County, United States
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If voters approve, Minnesota schools would get more money from a trust fund dating to the state’s founding - Midway Como Frogtown Monitor
What if Minnesota schools could get more funding without your taxes increasing by even a single cent? Yes, it sounds too good to be true. But a proposal along those lines will be on ballots this …
Coverage Details
Total News Sources23
Leaning Left4Leaning Right6Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
45% Center
L 22%
C 45%
R 33%
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