On November 3^rd, Moorhead residents will be asked to support their local school district and vote “Yes” for a referendum that would give the district a $950 per pupil levy over the next 7 years.

Moorhead Public Schools is not the only district in financial trouble and will not be the only district going to the voters on November 3^rd.  According to the Fargo Forum Newspaper, the other west-central Minnesota school districts that are requesting local financial support include – Ulen-Hitterdal, Detroit Lakes Lake Park-Audubon, Perham-Dent, West Central Area and Pelican Rapids.

The Ulen-Hitterdal school district will be requesting voter support to increase the cap on the district’s operational levy from $1,750 per pupil to $1,990 per pupil.  Currently, the district receives $1,375 per pupil.

In Detroit Lakes the district is asking voters for a levy increase from $319 to $457 per pupil. This levy would essentially replace a 10-year school building bond from 1990.  It would raise about $400,000 each year in the next 10 years.

Lake Park-Audubon School District is requesting an increase from a $500 per-pupil operational levy to a $750 per-pupil levy.

Perham-Dent voters rejected a 10-year, $695 per-pupil levy last year, this year the school is proposing a $395 per pupil levy for three years.

The West Central Area district wants voters to support a $1,250 per-pupil levy referendum.  This would replace a current 10-year levy of $950 per-pupil approved in a mail-in ballot in February 2006.

Pelican Rapids will ask for support this year after about 52 percent of voters rejected last year’s $1,100 per-pupil levy.  The revised levy length changed from ten years to five years and separated it into two parts.

One part, $900 per-pupil, would go toward maintaining current school programming.  The second part, an additional $200, would go toward future technology and curriculum upgrades.

Moorhead currently receives no support locally.  The requested levy is very similar to others in the area that schools need to survive.  Voters need to realize that if this levy is not passed the days of band, choir, orchestra, hockey, football, basketball, and other non-essential activities are numbered.  Class sizes will go up, quality of education will go down.  Vote “YES” on November 3^rd and show that you care about your children’s schools.