Legislative Priorities
The Minnesota Legislature and Governor are constitutionally obligated to provide the foundation resources so all children succeed. If they do not, students lose the educational opportunities that they need and deserve.
SAFF 2026 Legislative Platform
“The quality of a student’s education should not depend on their zip code.”
State support for school levy equalization programs has almost completely eroded, leaving inequities throughout our system of public schools. Failure to update these programs is penalizing students and property taxpayers in low property wealth school districts. Reforming levy equalization is SAFF’s top priority for Minnesota Legislative action.
Specifically, during the 2026 legislative session, SAFF is advocating to:
Make Education-Related Levies More Transparent and Fair by:
Education Equalization Credits (EEC)
• Converting current state equalization aid programs into a series of targeted property tax credits, which we refer to as Education Equalization Credits or EECs.
• EECs should better equalize tax rates by property classes across all public-school districts
• EECs should coincide with inflationary cap relief for the Local Optional Revenue (LOR) and Long-Term Deferred Maintenance (LTFM) levies
• EECs should be transparent to property taxpayers on their property tax statements
• EECs should be statutorily structured to maintain state funding support over time as property valuations naturally increase
Stabilize School Funding to Promote Fairness for Student Opportunities
• Maintain the Basic Formula Allowance inflationary factor
• Prevent further cuts to Special Education
• Stabilize Compensatory Revenue
• Secure state funding for state-mandated labor benefits, including Paid Family Medical Leave, Earned Safe & Sick Time, and Unemployment Insurance
What is Fair?
Districts rely on school levies to make up for inadequate state funding.
- The state is spending $1,600 per pupil less on today’s students than the children in the classrooms in the early 1990s due to the inflationary erosion of the basic formula.
- The average unfunded cost of providing mandated special education funding is over $800 per pupil.
- Other funding streams for English language learners, transportation, and children living in poverty have stagnated.
SAFF Leads on School Levy Property Tax Bill
Minnesota school districts increasingly rely on local property tax levies because state education funding does not fully keep pace with rising costs or fully fund state-mandated services. This reliance creates uneven educational opportunities for students and unequal property tax burdens for taxpayers across the state.
SAFF is leading efforts to advance school levy property tax relief and reform by strengthening state support, improving levy equalization, and increasing transparency for taxpayers. These reforms aim to reduce over-reliance on local levies and ensure a student’s educational opportunities are not determined by where they live.
Overcoming Inadequate State Funding?
Operating levies vary dramatically across Minnesota school districts, with some districts generating over $2,500 per pupil in local levy revenue while others generate little or none. This wide range reflects differences in local property wealth and levy capacity, contributing to inequitable funding levels that affect students and taxpayers differently depending on where they live.