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Pressure builds at Capitol for a school funding boost
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
February 28, 2005

Educators throughout Minnesota are counting on state lawmakers to increase school funding. (MPR File Photo)

State lawmakers are under a lot of pressure this year to increase funding for public schools. Thousands of parents, students and educators from throughout Minnesota will try to turn up the heat Monday during rally at the state Capitol. They're grown tired of budget problems in their local school districts and are calling on the Legislature to come up with a financial fix.

St. Paul, Minn. — Parents of children who attend public schools have been spending a lot of time lately at the state capitol. Several organizations have joined forces this session to convince state lawmakers to increase funding for K-12 education.

Mary Cecconi, executive director of the Parents United Network, says the lobbying effort was born out of a growing level of frustration among parents.

"They're very concerned about their schools," Cecconi says. "They've seen year after year after year of cuts. And where in the beginning they thought they could make up the cuts with fundraising or helping out a little bit extra at the school, they can't anymore. So, they're coming here to say we've had it. We're angry, and this is not the way to fund schools on the backs of kids."

The last few years have been tough for local school districts. State budget problems kept the basic education funding formula frozen at $4,601 per student. But operating costs continue to rise. That forced many school leaders to cut programs, layoff teachers and increase activity fees to balance their books.

Gov. Pawlenty is offering some relief, while sticking to his pledge to not raise taxes. The state is still facing tight finances, but the Republican governor's budget proposal would increase the state's per pupil allocation by two percent each of the next two years. However, state spending on education would only grow 1.5 percent, because the number of students in the system is declining each year.

"I think the governor, given his principles, has brought forth a very solid proposal," says Alice Seagren, Pawlenty's education commissioner.

Under the plan, school boards would get authority to raise taxes without voter approval to cover special education, deferred maintenance and other costs. They could also raise more money through voter-approved levies. A limited number of districts could also get money to switch to a system that pays teachers based on performance rather than years of service.

Seagren says the proposal balances the needs of rural, suburban and urban school districts.

"I know the districts would like more," Seagren says. I'm perceiving this as a budget that is solid, is a good start in getting us back on track revenue wise. We've got another kind of rough two years, but I'm hoping that after this period is over that we'll be back on track and able to put more money on the formula."

That's not soon enough for some lawmakers. Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, chairman of the Senate K-12 Budget Division, says the governor's two percent proposal barely covers inflation and won't prevent further budget cuts. He says Pawlenty is relying too heavily on local property taxes, in order to keep his pledge to not raise state taxes. Stumpf says schools need more state money.

"Education in Minnesota has always been one of the top priorities and has kind of made Minnesota the good state that we are," Stumpf says. "I think we have to deliver. I don't know how we're going to take care of everything this session. I know the governor has some expectations. We have some expectations."

Stumpf is a co-author of legislation that would increase the basic formula by five percent each of the next two years. But the bill does not identify a source for the 750 million dollars in new spending.

Rep. Barb Sykora, R-Excelsior, chairwoman of the House Education Finance Committee, says under the current budget circumstances the governor's spending plan for education is reasonable. She says larger increases are not.

"I think there's a lot of unity among all of us, Republicans, Democrats, rural, metro, whatever, that we want to put more money into education," Sykora says. "I think there's a lot of unity on that. Now, if there were four times as much money, then I think a whole lot of other areas would raise their heads and say hey we want. We want to do this and we want to do that, we want this money for roads, we want this money for transit."

Sykora is the chief House sponsor of the bill covering the governor's education spending plans. Her committee will hold three meetings this week to begin working through the legislation.