Eden Prairie Voters Reject Operating Levy, OK Tech Levy

Eden Prairie school district officials plan to start looking for budget cuts after voters Tuesday night rejected an operating levy request.

About 56 percent of people who cast a ballot voted against a proposal that would have increased funding by $9 million annually. In all, 924 more people opposed the levy request than supported it.

The district expects the levy’s failure to cause a $4 million budget gap for the 2014-15 school year, according to a district news release sent out after the vote.

“After having cut more than $17 million from the district budget in the past 10 years we had hoped to be able to maintain and build on the programming and opportunities we offer our students,” the release quoted Superintendent Curt Tryggestad. “We remain committed to maintaining the high standard of excellence for which the district is known, but we will have to do what we must to stabilize the finances.”

Officials will now begin looking at ways to close the budget gap. They’ll also begin preparing a revised operating levy that would go before voters next fall.

The current levy expires after the 2014-15 school year.

While the operating levy failed, voters did approve a renewal of the technology/capital project levy that brings in $5.7 million annually. About 55 percent of voters backed that proposal.

In the School Board election, Elaine Larabee, Ranee Jacobus and Holly Link won seats on the board. The final vote tallies were:

• Elaine Larabee, 24.81 percent, 4,237 votes
• Ranee Jacobus, 22.95 percent, 3,920 votes
• Holly Link, 21.86 percent, 3,733 votes
• Tim Laurie, 19.61 percent, 3,350 votes
• Murshid Barud, 10.02 percent, 1,712 votes 
• Write-in, 0.74 percent, 127 votes