Caring for public education

Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.: It’s possible to read too much into the results of an election — especially one in which there was no statewide issue, not every community participated, and those that did were grappling with local, unique concerns.

But there’s no denying that Minnesota public schools and the students who attend them came out as the clear winners when the votes were tallied. In southeastern Minnesota, 14 of 15 school districts saw their referendum questions approved, with only Cannon Falls falling short.

Statewide, 90 districts passed at least one operating levy question, while 24 districts saw their levy requests denied — a success rate of nearly 80 percent. Of the 58 districts that sought renewal of existing levies, 57 were successful.

If there is an overall message to be gleaned from results like these, it’s that regardless of the economy, Minnesotans — at least those who are concerned enough to vote — still value and appreciate the public school system. Sure, the skeptics have a lot to say about supposed inefficiency and lack of accountability in our schools, but when push comes to shove, voters still believe in their local schools.

Furthermore, we suspect that this summer’s accounting tomfoolery in St. Paul, which will force some school districts to borrow money just to make payroll, made it hard for voters to say “No,” especially when all they were asked to do was maintain their schools’ local funding.