The Fisher School district will have the voting of a referendum regarding a new tax levy and increase per pupil over a 10-year period. The voting will take place at the Fisher High School Media Center from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Fisher Public School has proposed to revoke the school district’s existing referendum revenue of $161 per pupil and to replace that authorization with a new authorization of $1,432 per pupil. If passed, this would be applicable beginning with taxes payable in 2024 and increasing each year by the rate of inflation beginning with taxes payable in 2025 unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law.
The current referendum was passed nearly 11 years ago. Since then, Fisher has experienced a decline in student enrollment and trouble with staying on top of inflation, a new referendum seemed necessary to propose. “With the cycle of inflation, and there’s seem to be a lot of that recently, specifically with the supply chain demand, we’re in a position where we want to set ourselves up for the next ten years the best we can,” said Fisher Public Schools Superintendent Evan Hanson.
The district has cut nearly $200,000 off its budget, which included staff positions and the art program. “We’ve been trying not to cut too many programs for students, but we have made some cuts for this year,” said Hanson. “We’ve cut an administrative position, we also cut back a bus route, but that was more because we didn’t have any bus drivers. But we initially talked about cutting some programs.”
Since 2020, the Fisher School District has seen a decline of nearly 20% in student enrollment. Hanson explained that since the Covid-19 pandemic, schools have seen more students lean toward online learning rather than face-to-face.
If the referendum passes, each household in the Fisher School District will see a tax increase. The annual tax impacts for residential properties valued at $100,000 show an annual increase of $401.58. Properties with an estimated value of $150,000 will see an annual increase of $602.37. Properties estimated at $200,000 will see an annual increase of $803.16.
“Being an operating referendum, this does not tax recreational property or Agricultural land,” said Hanson, “So it will not affect outside of the house/garage/or one acre. Everybody will be taxed equally at that point.”
The current referendum shows Fisher gets $161 per pupil, which is one of the lowest rates in the area. The proposed referendum of $1,432 puts Fisher Schools in the same financial category as neighboring districts such as Goodridge, Badger, Greenbush-Middle River, and Kelliher.
“We are one of the lowest costs in the area at $161 per APU,” said Hanson, “We’re asking for $1,432, which puts us in the middle of the pack of many of the area schools, and we’ve put out fliers (for community members) that shows the comparison to other comparable district sizes in the area and where we will stand.” Hanson also explained this levy would be funded primarily through local portions and taxes from the city of Fisher and not from the state.
Hanson explained that this levy can help keep the programs in the district, as well as fund every position. “I had put out a notice recently about ‘Why Fisher School.’ Fisher School is very proud of its tradition of being a community school,” said Hanson. “The input from local people is heard. When we went through our strategic planning and were identifying that Agriculture is a huge part of the community, yet 10 years ago we didn’t have an agriculture program, and now we have a model program, if you will.”
Hanson also explained that Fisher takes pride in their Career and Technical Education programs, where they offer students welding, CNA, and Electrician courses that get students ready for career paths.
The voting window closes at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday night. After all votes are in, they will be counted immediately. The results and decision of the referendum are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 8.
