ISD 833 School Board Race: What You Need To Know

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — As of last Friday, voters in Washington County can cast their absentee ballots for the Nov. 2 municipal election.

Residents of Independent School District 833, or South Washington County Schools, will be voting for school board members. Voters will also be voting on two school district questions on this year's ballot.

Question 1:

"The board of Independent School District No. 833 (South Washington County Schools), Minnesota has proposed to revoke the School District’s existing referendum revenue authorization of $1,536.60 per pupil and to replace that authorization with a new authorization of $1,886.60 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The proposed referendum revenue authorization would be first levied in 2021 for taxes payable in 2022 and applicable for ten (10) years unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law. Shall the revocation of the existing referendum authorization and the new authorization proposed by the board of Independent School District No. 833 (South Washington County Schools), Minnesota be approved?"

Question 2:

"The board of Independent School District No. 833 (South Washington County Schools), Minnesota has proposed to revoke the School District’s existing capital project levy authorization in the amount of 1.820% times the net tax capacity of the School District and to replace that authorization with a new capital project levy authorization in the amount of 3.383% times the net tax capacity of the School District to provide funds for the acquisition and installation of improved instructional technology, technology systems, and technology support staffing. The proposed capital project levy authorization will raise approximately $5,000,000 for taxes first levied in 2021, payable in 2022, and would be authorized for ten (10) years. The estimated total cost of the projects to be funded over that time period is approximately $50,000,000. Shall the revocation of the existing capital project levy authorization and the approval of the new capital project levy authorization to fund technology proposed by the board of Independent School District No. 833 (South Washington County Schools), Minnesota be approved?"

Voting yes on both of these would raise property taxes.

Patch Candidate Profiles

Patch has asked candidates running for office this fall to answer questions about their campaigns. We will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

• Patch Candidate Profile: Sharon Van Leer For ISD 833 School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Eric Tessmer For SoWashCo School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Katie Schwartz For SoWashCo School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Michael Bestler For ISD 833 School Board
• Candidate Profile: Patricia Driscoll For ISD 833 School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Marge Lindberg For ISD 833 School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Jaime Kokaisel For ISD 833 School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Vicki Holst For ISD 833 School Board
• Patch Candidate Profile: Enrique Ramos For ISD 833 School Board

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Woodbury newsletters and real-time email alerts.

Key dates to know for early voting

• Early voting period: Sept. 17 — Nov. 1
• Early registration deadline: Tuesday, Oct. 12
• Suggested deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot: Tuesday, Oct. 19
• Election Day, deadline to return mail-in ballot: Tuesday, Nov. 2.
  • Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m
  • Mail-in ballots can be dropped off at the R.H Stafford Library, Lower Level, 8595 Central Park Place.

Register to vote online

Minnesota has same-day voter registration, which means you can register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. However, if you want to vote early by mail, election officials suggest registering as soon as possible online.Check or update your voter registration on the Secretary of State website.

Early ballot drop-off in-person

Residents can drop off absentee ballots at R.H Stafford Library, Lower Level, 8595 Central Park Place.

Vote early by mail

• If you haven't requested your mail-in ballot yet but plan to vote by mail, you can do so here.
  • You can check the status of your ballot — from the time you request it all the way until it's counted — on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
• Mail-in ballots will not count if they are received after Election Day and should be mailed about a month beforehand.
• You can mail your ballot to the Washington County Government Center at 14949 62nd St N, in Stillwater.

See what's on your ballot ahead of time

Minnesotans can view a sample ballot by using the state's "What's on my ballot?" tool.

You can find more information on voting in Washington County here.

William Bornhoft contributed to this report.