Minnesota House Approves Bill to Overhaul Rochester Public Schools Board Elections

The proposed changes would transition RPS from an alley system to an at-large system for school board races.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 1:18am

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A vibrant, abstract painting featuring overlapping, geometric shapes in shades of blue, purple, and red, conceptually representing the dynamic changes to Rochester's school board election system.The proposed overhaul of Rochester's school board election system aims to make the process more inclusive and representative of the community.Rochester Today

The Minnesota House has approved a bill that would change the way district voters cast ballots in Rochester Public Schools' board races. The legislation would transition RPS away from a so-called alley system to an at-large system, removing the need for candidates to pick a seat number and instead allowing all candidates to compete against one another.

Why it matters

This proposed change to the RPS election system is seen as a way to make the school board races more accessible and representative of the broader community. The current alley system has been criticized for creating barriers to participation and potentially favoring certain candidates over others.

The details

The House bill was introduced by Rep. Tina Liebling, with fellow Rochester DFLers Reps. Andy Smith and Kim Hicks among the co-authors. In the state Senate, DFL Sen. Liz Boldon of Rochester put forth a similar bill, which has since been co-authored by Republican Sen. Carla Nelson, also of Rochester. The Senate version has been referred to the elections committee.

  • The Minnesota House approved the bill this week.
  • School board seats #2, #4, #5 and #6 are up for election this year in Rochester.

The players

Rep. Tina Liebling

The Minnesota state representative who introduced the House bill to overhaul the Rochester Public Schools board election system.

Rep. Andy Smith

A Minnesota state representative and co-author of the House bill to change the RPS board election system.

Rep. Kim Hicks

A Minnesota state representative and co-author of the House bill to change the RPS board election system.

Sen. Liz Boldon

The Minnesota state senator who introduced a similar bill in the state Senate to overhaul the Rochester Public Schools board election system.

Sen. Carla Nelson

The Minnesota state senator who has since been added as a co-author to the Senate bill to change the RPS board election system.

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What’s next

The Senate version of the bill has been referred to the elections committee, where it will need to be approved before moving forward.

The takeaway

This proposed change to the Rochester Public Schools board election system aims to make the races more accessible and representative of the broader community, moving away from the current alley system that has been criticized for creating barriers to participation.