Breaking News - Posted: 11/5/03

Forest Lake school levies voted down

The answer to school budget woes in 2004 wonít be found in new local tax dollars. It will be found in budget cuts.

By an overwhelming margin on Tuesday, voters in Forest Lake Area Schools rejected a plan to raise dollars for the general fund and head off budget cuts. The margin of defeat was 5121 to 3662 for the five-year levy that would have raised $2 million a year from local property taxpayers.

A second levy question to fund technology upgrades and improvements was defeated by an even larger margin. A district proposal to raise $2 million a year for each of five years went down by a 5179 to 3140 margin.

Voters rejected both proposals in all six district polling precincts. In the heavily populated Forest Lake precinct, the operating levy lost 1953 to 1575 while the technology request was defeated 1782 to 1299.

Just under 8800 ballots were cast in the Nov. 4 election.

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