(ABC 6 ) – In Rochester, the highly contested “Ignite Student Learning” referendum passed with a 57% of voters in favor, but Superintendent Kent Pekel says they aren’t resting on their laurels.

Passing the referendum was not without its’ challenges.

Forty-three percent of voters did not want to see it passed, so there’s still a sizable chunk of the population the district has to answer to.

According to Pekel, that’s something they’re actively considering, even going so far as to break new ground in how they’re keeping the public informed.

“I think the most important thing we can say to them is that we are going to continue to be totally transparent with how we use those dollars,” he said. “We are going to have the school board separately approve a budget for the 2024 referendum every year.”

The means the funding from this levy will be budgeted separately from the general fund the district receives from the state.

A record of that budget will be made available on the RPS website, where people will be able to see exactly how the district is using the money.