OUR CHALLENGES

Our district faces growing budget deficits and cuts to staff and student programs

We’ve made meaningful progress — but our financial situation is urgent.

Marshall Public Schools is proud of the academic growth we’re seeing, especially in early literacy, middle school math, and science. Career and technical program enrollment is growing. Chronic absenteeism and behavioral incidents are down. And students are finding success in the classroom and beyond — from early reading to state-level athletics and activities.

But we’re now facing a growing financial gap that threatens our ability to maintain these services.

State funding has failed to keep up with inflation for over two decades. In fact, the state of Minnesota is contributing nearly 19% less for general education than it was in 2005 (adjusted for inflation).

For the 2024-2025 school year, Marshall Public Schools cut $350,000 in spending and deficit spent $1.1 million. For 2025-2026, the district faces a $1.8 million deficit. Without additional funding, the school board will need to use a combination of budget cuts and emergency reserve funds to avoid further deficit spending. Even with these measures, the deficit is projected to double over the next four years and emergency reserves are expected to be wiped out within three years.

Anticipated cuts if the referendum is rejected:

  • $420,000 - Teaching and academic support positions

  • $280,000 - Administrative and other staff positions

  • $360,000 - Class section reductions

Operating without a local operating levy since 2018.

Most school districts rely on voter-approved operating levies to fund daily educational expenses that state funding can’t cover. Our district has not had one in place since 2018 when a previous levy expired. In 2022, our district asked voters to revive the levy, which voters rejected.

Since then, we’ve worked hard to stretch every dollar — including federal COVID relief funds — to minimize impacts on students. Without stable, local funding, we’ll be forced to make cuts across all grade levels, impacting staffing, class sizes, course offerings, and student support.