10/25/2026
Thanks to Emily Gruenhagen for this post:
Here are some things you should know before voting on the Constitutional Amendment.
Minnesota’s Constitutional Amendment on the ballot in 2026
The question: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase funding going to all school districts from the Permanent School Fund, which is a fund that supports school districts, without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027.”
It’s true, the amendment would allow more money from the Permanent School Fund to be allocated to the state’s public and charter schools without raising income or property taxes…..BUT…..there’s a lot more that will happen if you vote YES that the wording of the question on the ballot doesn’t tell you about.
Background of the issue:
The Permanent School Fund has been around since before the beginning of the state.
The Fund is from money derived from timber sales and mineral rights on over 2-million acres of land (most in northern Minnesota).
The Fund is now more than $2.3-billion and raises about $60-million per year ($68 per student).
The proposal would increase the payout to about $104-million ($118 per student).
The problem with the ballot question:
The question doesn’t tell you what exact changes voters are making to the Constitution!
The law that authorized the ballot question changes the Constitution to:
Allow more than just ‘interest and dividends’ to be allocated to schools.
Remove the requirement that the Fund be paid back if it loses money on its investments.
Authorize unrestricted “Administrative Costs” such as state employee salaries to come from the Fund.
Allows lawmakers, not voters to make future changes to the fund allocations.
The 2026 law that set in motion the ballot question sets future payouts at 4.5% of the fund’s value, regardless of whether the Fund had gains that year.
Under the new language, if the fund’s returns don’t equal 4.5%, assets from the Fund would have to be sold to make up the allocation and expenses, lowering the amount of assets in the fund available for future returns.
Mark Kulda
Greater Minnesota Coordinator
American Experiment