Annandale parents step up to fill financial gap after school levy fails
ANNANDALE, Minn. — In November, dozens of school referendums and levies were on the ballot in Minnesota, but fewer than half of them passed.
Annandale's $1.5 million levy was among the failures.
"These teachers are our neighbors and our friends, and their children are our children's friends," said Annandale parent Hannah Fischer.
But instead of accepting defeat, a group of parents went back to the drawing board.
"If we can save one teacher, we can prevent one program from going down the drain. If we can change one vote to a 'yes' for this levy to pass for our kids to be successful, we've done our job in our group," said parent Jessica Bruggeman.
In late December, they launched the Facebook page Cardinals Rising, named after Annandale's mascot, with the hope of raising awareness and money before cuts are made. Their grassroots goal is $500,000.
The group is worried that if they can't come up with the money, as many as 10 teachers could lose their jobs. The middle school and several programs, including robotics, would also be hit hard. Class sizes could also jump to more than 30 students per class.
Cardinals Rising is working to get the word out, and donations have started to come in. Feeling the urgency, they've led by example. Many families have even donated their own money to the district. It's money they say they would have paid if the levy had passed.
"Everyone kind of has their thing where, 'I'll go talk to this person, I'll go talk to this person,'" said parent Alyssa Radisewitz Domagala.
They hope spreading the word keeps their schools, and ultimately their businesses, strong. The district also happens to be Annandale's largest employer.
"My husband is an educator in the district and with three kids, it's very concerning," said parent Crystal Nutt.
Annandale parents said a concerning trend is that the money their schools are getting from the state is 18% below inflation.
They have also set up a GoFundMe page and will be holding fundraisers in the future.
