TO THE EDITOR:
Big Lake School District Referendums: Two ‘No’ votes and the school district won’t lose a dime! Why? When a levy expires, those taxes end. Any extension or increase of a levy is a property tax increase. If you own the average valued home in the district, these are the facts: If Question 1 passes (a 90% per pupil increase (WOW!) operating levy for 10 years) you will pay $3,220 in new taxes. If Question 2 (Building Bonds for a multi-purpose addition) passes, you will pay $8,660 in new taxes. Two ‘Yes’ votes and you will pay $11,880 in new taxes. We have not underfunded our schools, as our operating levy has an annual rate of inflation increase. Also, did you know that in January 2024 the Big Lake School Board renewed the current operating levy for 10 more years (over $21.2 million of local tax payer money) without bringing it to the district residents for a vote? We give and they take! You can’t make this stuff up! If you own a home or rent (your rent money helps pay these taxes), get to Saron Church on November 4th and vote ‘No’ and ‘No.’ Tell your neighbors.
Timothy Myers,
Big Lake
TO THE EDITOR:
While my county and township taxes have increased 40% over the past decade, my Becker school taxes have increased nearly 110%. According to a study of statewide levies by Minneapolis School Voices, Becker is funded at 265% of what is considered adequate for our school population. (https://www.mplsschoolsvoices.news/posts/mn-school-funding-inequities-data-viz). The data from the 2018-2019 school year shows only two districts in the state more adequately funded, and Becker has assessed two additional levies since then. What do we have to show for it? Just 37% of our high schoolers meet math standards and 47% meet reading. Those numbers are below the state averages of 45.2% and 49.6%. (https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/orgId--10726020000__p--3) District leaders need to reevaluate how they spend our money before we give them more. Annandale school district is funded at 125% adequacy. Their test scores? 44% of students meet math standards and 74.8% meet reading. There can be student success without outrageous overspending, or we should have something to show for that spending. Minnetonka students, one of the districts with higher adequacy of funding, meet math standards at 61.7% and reading at 77.3%. The board should spend wisely according to their goal of fiscal responsibility before we allow more levies, renewable without voter approval, to pile up.
Rebecca Mix
St Cloud, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
An off year election is coming up November 4th, did you know this? No Presidential or Representative contest this year to get everyone out and vote, only one item is on the ballot and it’s the same Big Lake School District questions that failed last year!! Last year there were (three) Levy questions. The first passed 4,005 to 3,671. The next two soundly failed. The second question in 2024 asked for an additional $400 per pupil, failed 3,420 to 4,265. This year the school district is asking for $640 per pupil for the same thing! The third question in 2024 asked for a bond of $29 million to build an additional gymnasium, and that failed 3,354 to 3,913. This year the school district is asking for $36 million again for the same thing. And just like before, enrollment is DOWN, so we don’t need an additional gym. The district is hoping to slide this by, betting that the majority of voters will stay home, but they will make sure that their teachers and staff vote to pass these needless property tax increasing measures! So vote early, or vote on Election Day, but vote NO.
Bret R. Collier
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Shutdown Standoff: A Tough Choice for Democrats. Since the government shut down, the ripple effects have reached far beyond Washington. Families are waiting on paychecks, small businesses are missing contracts, and millions who depend on federal support are left wondering what happens next. SNAP funding, the backbone of food security for many, is set to run dry by November 1 if Congress doesn’t act. Democrats now face a Sophie’s Choice: accept the Republicans’ “clean” short-term funding bill to reopen government, or hold out to extend ACA subsidies and reverse this summer’s Medicaid cuts from the Big Beautiful Bill. Either choice carries pain for families who rely on both affordable care and food assistance. There is a SNAP contingency reserve, but USDA says it can’t use it during a shutdown. The law only allows those funds to supplement an existing appropriation — not replace one that doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, misinformation floods the field. Even official-looking sources can rush or slant facts. The Hatch Act was meant to keep federal work apolitical, but today even .gov statements demand verification. When truth becomes a tug-of-war, our best defense is calm curiosity. If we stop looking closer, someone else decides what’s “true” for us.
Vanessa Davenport
Big Lake, MN
