Voters Asked to Fund $1.8 Billion in School Capital Levies

ST. PAUL (AP) - Dozens of school districts across Minnesota are asking voters to fund projects ranging from building construction to iPad purchases.

Voters Tuesday make decisions on more than 100 school levies that also include security upgrades and operating revenue. Together the capital levies would fund about $1.8 billion in projects statewide.

State law allows districts to ask for new capital revenue throughout the year - but operating revenue is typically limited to the November election. Fifty-three Minnesota districts have asked or are asking voters to approve a total of 61 requests.

The levies would raise an average of about $884 per pupil, about $260 more than what is being currently collected.

The per-pupil funding formula that schools use for general operations is expected to rise more than nine percent from 2014 to 2016.