2024 Referendum

Referendum Results & Thanks

Our Students. Our Future. Enhance safety and maintain qualityInver Grove Heights Schools (ISD 199) voters approved the funding request on the November 5 ballot. The success of the operating levy increase will be crucial to maintaining the district’s quality of education and enhancing safety in its schools and the community.

Our Students. Our Future.
The operating levy passed with 54.96% (8,613 of votes) yes and 46.04% (7,350 of votes) no. It will generate an additional $627 per student in annual revenue to avoid a $2 million deficit, prevent class size increases, and retain effective staff. Remaining funds will go toward hiring a second districtwide School Resource Officer (SRO) and updating our security equipment and cybersecurity systems to keep our students, staff, and their data as safe as we can.

The tally is considered unofficial until the election is canvassed by the school board on November 12.

“The passage of this November 5 referendum question is so important for our students,” said ISD 199 Superintendent Dave Bernhardson. “We thank all voters who made their voices heard, and we thank all of you for supporting our students, families, and hard-working staff by believing in the continued success of our thriving community.”

ISD 199 School Board Chair Carrie Lounsberry believes, now that the election is over, that schools can focus on supporting their students and families, knowing they have the support of their community.

“We understand that not everyone voted yes on these questions. We appreciate that we have found common ground between the community and the needs of our community’s children,” she said. “We pledge to be good and transparent financial stewards as we move forward with our plans for the operating levy.”

The district will also continue to advocate for more funding from the state to limit the burden on the local community as much as it can.


Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.
Haga clic aquí para ver el vídeo en español.


The school district will provide updates to the community throughout the process. More information will be posted to the district website, www.isd199.org.


Browse the Referendum Website:
Si prefiere leer este sitio web en español, haga clic en "Language" en la barra "Administración" en la parte superior de esta página y seleccione "Spanish".