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If voters approve, Minnesota schools would get a funding boost from a little-known source

This November, Minnesota voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to increase school funding from the Permanent School Fund, a trust established in 1858 with proceeds from timber and mineral sales.
The Fund has more than doubled over 16 years, growing from $675 million in 2010 to $2.3 billion in 2025, supported by over 2.5 million acres of timber and 1 million acres of mineral rights.
A 2024 Minnesota School Boards Association committee report led to this proposal, which would increase distributions from the current 2% to 2.5% of interests and dividends and to 4.5% of the fund's three-year rolling average market value.
MSBA Executive Director Kirk Schneidawind said the estimated 40% per-pupil funding increase allows districts flexibility, stating: "It's permanent, it's stable, it's flexible."
Education advocates are raising awareness because ballots leaving the question blank are counted as "no," working against the proposal and making voter turnout critical.

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If voters approve, Minnesota schools would get a funding boost from a little-known source

ROCHESTER — This fall, voters across the state will decide whether to increase a little-known source of revenue for public schools, derived from a long-standing trust that was created more than 100 years ago. Referred to as the Permanent School Fund, it’s a trust that was established in 1858 with proceeds from the sale of timber and minerals. The proposed amendment to the state’s constitution would increase the amount schools receive from the tr…

3 days ago·Cherokee County, United States

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