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Minnesota election results: Rochester school referendum passed by voters
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Minnesota election results: Rochester school referendum passed by voters

The voters Rochester having passed a referendum which school district officials said was necessary to help keep class sizes low, preserve employees and potentially maintain schools of closure.

Find other election results here.

Voting results

A total of 39,838 people voted for the measure, allowing it to pass with 57% of the vote. Votes against the measure reached 30,058, or 43% of the total votes. You can find the election results here.

Rochester residents also elected three new school board members:

  • Don Barlow received 38,171 votes, or 68.53 percent of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 1.
  • Karen MacLaughlin received 33,577 votes, or 58.84% of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 3.
  • Stephanie M. Whitehorn received 31,830 votes, or 58.82 percent of the total, in the race for School Board Member Position 7.

Background

Rochester officials said the referendum will inject more than 19 million dollars per year into school district coffers, which would help prevent district buildings from closing, among other efforts.

The measure will increase property taxes on a $350,000 home by $29 per month, according to the district.

A similar measure called for $10 million per year through a levy focused exclusively on equipment and technology, but it failed in November 2023.

After voters rejected the measure, the Mayo Clinic donated $10 million, allowing the district to avoid school closures and other cuts.

Over the past two years, the district has already made $21 million in budget cuts.