After Superior’s school referendum, advocates seek more sustainable funding from state

Last November, voters in Superior approved a referendum to raise property taxes over five years to increase funding for the school district. The measure passed, with many hoping it would help avoid cuts to the district following last year’s closure of Lake Superior Elementary School that saw the loss of 60 staff positions.

But district advocates said the referendum’s added funding might not be enough. 

“It’s still just a Band-Aid,” Taylor Pedersen, president of the Superior-Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, said of the November referendum. “It doesn’t cure the funding challenges for the future.”

Pedersen was among Superior Days delegates at the state Capitol in Madison last month who lobbied for more equity in the way the state allocates money for education. The delegates pointed out that Superior schools rank near the bottom in state aid per pupil and that the state’s formula for funding public schools has not kept up with inflation.

Pedersen spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” about the lobbying effort.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Robin Washington: The Superior Days delegation’s ask to the Legislature is to “increase and create more equity in K-12 public school funding.” What does that mean exactly?

Taylor Pedersen: It really comes down to the same principles as the referendum that just passed in Superior. The problem is that the equation for K-12 education is based on a model that was designed in 1993. It’s outdated. It’s no longer applicable, and K-12 schools need better funding and an updated model in order to be sustainable.

RW: Superior just closed an elementary school.

TP: Yes. The simple truth is we’ve known for years that class sizes are getting smaller. Young people are having kids later in life. They’re having smaller families. And so the district needed to make a decision and to consolidate. It’s going to work out; a local organization bought the school building, and it’ll be housing, which is also needed in our community. 

The chamber supported the referendum, but again, it’s just a Band-Aid for four or five years. We’re going to have to go back to our taxpayers and say, “Is this something you want to support again?”

RW: Your support for the referendum put you in a bit of a different position from other chambers of commerce in that you backed a tax increase.

TP: It is somewhat unique. However, the simple truth is public education shouldn’t be a political issue. We took a stance because healthy schools and healthy communities mean healthy businesses. A good school district is more attractive to families moving into town. People are going to feel better about starting a family here, and we need people to start a family and to invest in our community. The referendum was one way to ensure that was going to happen.

RW: Attracting families is a little bit different from the emphasis a lot of towns and cities had not so long ago, when they were trying to attract double-income, no-kids couples who would pay taxes without the burden of schools to pay for. Has that changed?

TP: Yes, but I’ll clarify that to say we welcome anybody who wants to move to Superior and Douglas County. There’s no question we’re seeing an older demographic and an aging population. State trends show our demographics are trending older and we have to do something to attract a younger workforce. That’s who we need to think about for that next generation of leaders in our community.

RW: You had students lobbying as part of the delegation.

TP: They definitely had a stake in the game. Students talking to our legislators about funding our schools is really building that bridge to the next generation. And it was really fun to watch them interact with the legislators, who really appreciated it.

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