Grassroots group says it collected 3,000 signatures to force a vote on new Anoka-Hennepin school tax

A grassroots movement is pushing for a new property tax to help fund schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, the largest of its kind in Minnesota.

For the past several weeks, the group Parents for Good has been collecting signatures in support of the tax bump to fund day-to-day operations in the district. They were trying to get 3,000 signatures to force a vote in November.

A "Let Us Vote Rally" is set for Monday at 6 p.m. at the Sandburg Education Center before parents present the signatures to the school board.

They say they want to celebrate the milestone and show the school board their community wants the opportunity to vote on school funding this fall.

The district's 30-plus schools serve nearly 40,000 students in more than a dozen metro communities, including Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Dayton and Nowthen.  

The district, which just welcomed new superintendent Greg Cole last month, reached a contract agreement in January with members of Anoka Hennepin Education Minnesota who sought higher wages and better healthcare.