Rob Kupec Voted Against Funding for DGF Schools; Students Launch GoFundMe

Voters in the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton area will literally see the consequences of Moorhead-area State Senator Rob Kupec on the ballot this November.

In 2025, Rob Kupec showed his true allegiance to St. Paul when he voted against providing disparity aid to struggling school districts. Republicans offered an amendment to grant aid to the 20% most underfunded schools in the state. DGF schools would have received roughly $500,000 in additional funding. With every Republican voting yes and every Democrat voting no, Rob Kupec cast the deciding vote causing the amendment to fail 33-34.

As a result, DGF schools was forced to place an $850,000 levy referendum on the ballot. Rob Kupec failed to help them, forcing the school district to ask residents to increase their own property taxes to maintain staff and programs Rob Kupec refused to fund.

The referendum failed by 33 votes and resulted in $1 million in budget cuts for DGF schools during the 2026-2027 school year.

WHAT DID DGF LOSE?

• Teachers and staff

• Coaching positions

• Foreign-language classes

• Debate team funding

• Pep band funding

• Choir funding

Thankfully, students and the community organized and managed to save their debate team this year when a former DGF student started a fundraiser after the Kupec budget cuts.

DGF Debate Team launched a GoFundMe campaign to keep their program after Senator Rob Kupec voted against funding it. They students succeeded in raising the funds and continue to do so.

For the 2026 election, the referendum is back on the ballot as DGF schools try to prevent the budget cuts from further impacting staff and programming.

Rob Kupec is more concerned about metro liberal priorities like requiring race-obsessed ethnic studies curriculum and requiring schools to stock boys’ bathrooms with feminine hygiene products. He has completely neglected funding the basics for the schools he represents.

• Rob Kupec voted against disparity aid to public schools that would have provided around $500,000 in additional funds to DGF schools.

• Rob Kupec voted against transportation sparsity aid to help rural schools pay for getting kids to school in Greater Minnesota.

• Rob Kupec voted against reinstating the rule of 90, a pension rule that would allow teachers to retire earlier rather than working into their late 60’s and 70’s, keeping quality teachers in the classroom instead of looking for new jobs.

• Rob Kupec voted against relief to unfunded state mandates by allowing local school boards to opt out and choose how to spend their own money in the best interest of their community.

• Rob Kupec voted against $200 million to increase Minnesota’s low literacy rates in schools.

• Rob Kupec voted against nearly $500 million in school safety funding.

• Rob Kupec voted against $270 million in equalization aid to decrease the burden of school funding on property taxes.

Thankfully, DGF voters have a great alternative to support local schools this November. As a member of the neighboring Hawley School Board, Austin Peterson has been a strong advocate for the students, teachers, and families that rely on greater Minnesota schools. Peterson has been hyper focused on the basics of great schooling: High-quality curriculum, school safety, and keeping great teachers, everything his opponent Rob Kupec voted against. He has worked to secure the funding rural schools need while defending the programs and staff that make a meaningful difference in students’ lives.

When you see a tax increase on your ballot, or your children have to launch a GoFundMe page for basic school programs, THANK DEMOCRAT SENATOR ROB KUPEC.