Cannon Falls Area Schools prepares for incoming budget cuts post-referendum failure

CANNON FALLS, Minn. (KTTC) – More than half of Minnesota’s 32 educational referendums failed in 2024. Southeastern Minnesota is home to four of the 20 statewide failed referenda from last November including, Byron, Dover-Eyota, Fillmore Central, and Cannon Falls Area Schools.

Cannon Falls Area Schools has decided to make more than $560,000 in budget cuts for the 2025-2026 school year.

Superintendent Jeff Sampson said the district’s proposed budget changes range anywhere from cutting the cheer program to adjusting the thermostats in schools.

Sampson mentioned the financial bomb dropped when 53% of voters turned down the 10-year, $750 per pupil spending increase came as a surprise.

“The survey that we put out to the community members came back very positive at 57% passing and 43% failing,” Sampson said. “So, we had a lot of good data going into that.”

Cannon Falls Junior Monnette Otterness shared her concerns about next year’s increase in athletic fees as a three-sport athlete.

“I heard the prices for that they’re gonna rise a lot higher,” Otterness said. “We were at $125 for normal registration, and I heard they’re bumping it up to like $185.”

Parent of two students Barbara Weigman worried for the future of her children’s education as the district plans to cut two elementary teachers.

“It’s kind of a bedroom community. Maybe there are a lot of families here that don’t have kids in the school, so they don’t see the need,” Weigman mentioned. “A lot of older folks live here, so they’re beyond the school years and having the kids in school.”

Sampson said eliminating one bus route, a range of increasing fees, and parting ways with assistant coaches are only a few of the changes expected for the 2025-2026 school year.

“We’re intentionally lowering the heat by a degree during the winter months and then raising it by a degree in the summer months,” Sampson said.

Sampson added unfunded mandates are part of the problem as other districts in the area are tackling the same budget dilemma as Cannon Falls.

“St. Paul is not a reliable funding partner, right now. Public schools, they’re just, they’re not consistent with our state funding and providing us with what we need. And that’s kind of sad,” he added.

Unfunded mandates can be defined as state requirements schools must meet but don’t receive the funding to do so.

Representative Peggy Bennett of Albert Lea proposed a bill in January allowing districts to opt out of the more than 65 new mandates imposed on schools over the past two years.

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