Sign our petition! We're calling on Macalester and St. Thomas to negotiate and agreement with our school district to help pay for our public schools. Macalester and the University of St. Thomas own properties in Saint Paul that are worth a total of almost $550 million, and which are completely exempt from property taxes. If they paid taxes on this property at the standard rate, it would be enough for the Saint Paul Public Schools to hire 40 desperately needed teachers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, or social workers.
Property taxes are the main source of local funding for schools. This is a problem in Saint Paul, where one in four properties do not pay any property taxes. These properties are either owned by a public entity – the city, county, state or school district - or are part of a non-profit tax-exempt organization. Private colleges and hospitals, in particular, own some of the most valuable property in the city, but do not pay any taxes on it.