HOW WAS THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM CREATED?
The May 2026 plan is nearly identical to the proposal that did not pass in November 2025. After the November vote, the school board reviewed the plans and sought additional community feedback. Following more than two years of research, planning, and community engagement, the board determined there are no viable ways to reduce the scope and still meet the district’s student needs. The only change from November is a slightly reduced tax impact.
After two ballot questions to fund critical school and activity space improvements failed in November 2021, the district formed a community task force to reassess options and gather direct input from residents. This 30-person task force focused on four priorities:
Ensuring that any future investments align with feedback received from our community, students, and staff on the greatest challenges facing our schools.
Limiting the tax impact of future investment to no more than $17/month for the average homeowner.
Addressing the needs and safety of our facilities and pressures on the district’s operating budget.
Ensuring that new investments support our students’ and community’s unique Career Academies model and Continuous Improvement Plan for facilities.
Creating a Community-Informed Plan
The task force spent nearly two years carefully evaluating the District’s biggest facility needs and financial challenges with the above goals in mind before compiling recommendations for the school board. Efforts during this time included:
Evaluating the District’s Needs
Comprehensive facility studies to evaluate the condition and quality of our existing school buildings.
Educational adequacy assessments to see how well our schools meet standards from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Multiple community listening sessions that drew over 100 participants to share feedback and identify priorities.
Demographic and enrollment studies to identify trends and project future demand for learning and activities space.
A representative survey of staff and district residents to understand the community’s priorities for investments in our schools.
Financial and construction experts thoroughly reviewed the task force's recommendations. School board members then reviewed the recommendations and finalized the proposed plan. On August 5, 2025, the board approved a resolution to call for a special election.
After the referendum failed in November 2025, the school board reviewed the plans and sought additional community feedback, including a community survey.
The District’s goal is to improve our school buildings and build a strong future for Princeton Public Schools students and our community, while using taxpayer dollars wisely and responsibly. With this in mind, the school board looked back on the more than two years of research, planning, and community engagement, and determined there are no viable ways to reduce the scope of the project and still meet the district’s student needs.
Understanding that the only way to make investments of this size is through a voter‑approved referendum, and waiting would only delay critical investments in our 60-year-old building and likely increase costs, the school board approved a resolution on February 3, 2025 to call for another special election.
The only change from November is a slightly reduced tax impact.