Isn't it just great when the additional money goes directly into the pockets of salaried workers and not to the kids? The odd thing is that the levy request brochures ALWAYS show the kids in photos and not the salaried workers smiling with their paychecks! Marketing magic in execution.

Chairman Monserrate, you are correct.

I find it interesting that in other school districts the voter has a say on if a tax levy for the schools will go into effect but seems that in Minneapolis the tax payer has no say in it. What happen to tax payer rights?!?

Hey, it's all about the kids, errrr employees. Wow!

A Pioneer Press study conducted a few years ago found that almost all of the money raised from school district tax levy increases goes into the pockets of teachers and administrators through higher salaries and benefits like pensions. That is exactly what is happening in this case. From the article: "The proposal levies about $1 million to pay for a state-required $6.2 million make-up pension contribution for non-teaching employees." So now the median Minneapolis home owner can take comfort in paying an extra $71 per year so "non-teaching employees" who are already overpaid can get nice juicy pensions and get paid for the rest of their lives after they retire. Do you get paid for doing nothing? Public employee retirees do. Big money.

When are the taxpayers going to take this city back?

We continue to pour money into education with no appreciable improvement. More money is not the answer. System is broken.

This article failed to report on what the total annual expense for the school District will be! In the school year 2011-12 The budget was $694M The District had 33K students, Cost per student $21,030. Now the district voted to levy $172M per year in taxes to help cover this years budget and part of next years budget......Its out of control!

No money for teachers, no money for fire fighters, no money to plow the streets....but thanks to Rybak, we have plenty of money for a new Vikings stadium.

There is only one problem with some of the comments here. Where were you all when the deal/agreements were made for the pension fund and salaries when they were negotiated and agreed to years ago? Should you be blaming the teachers for this or the people who negotiated for you? Why don't you run for the school board if you think salaries are too high? Better yet, why don't you step foot in a classroom for a couple of months and let me know how it goes for you, and let me know when you are going to do this. I want to watch. Teaching is easy you know. Why aren't you all over the high salaries of other professions? Do you know how much money it now takes to get a teaching degree and to keep it? I think some people are perpetuating a real myth here and making teachers the scapegoats again. It's too easy, and it is wrong. I think I am going to go out of my way today, to find several teachers and tell then "thank you" for everything you do for our kids.