Minnesota School Referenda Op-Ed

In Wisconsin this situation has become heavily politicized and polarized
with WEAC and WMC representing the two opposing political poles.

Solutions? Anybody?

Editorial: Investing in Minnesota schools

Rash of referendums shows a need for more state support.

Published: September 16, 2007

In the Anoka-Hennepin district, six schools could close and 500
teachers could be out of work. Stillwater school officials say class
sizes could rise, busing could be cut and activities fees could go up.
And Bloomington educators say they could lose counselors, close a
school and eliminate reading readiness and music programs.
Similar cuts could occur in many metro area districts over the next
two years, say school officials, if voters reject local property-tax
increases this fall. According to a Minnesota School Boards
Association survey, at least 24 districts in the metro area and 91
statewide will ask voters this fall to raise their property taxes.

But wait. Didn't the 2007 Minnesota Legislature add $800 million to
the $12 billion the state already spends on schools? If so many more
dollars will be flowing into district coffers, then why the
predictions of severe cuts? Hasn't this pattern repeated itself
several times in recent years -- schools get more state money, but it
is still not enough?

Catching up

Many Minnesota schools seem to be in a constant state of financial
catch-up. That's because new state dollars are rapidly consumed by
current and ever-changing needs. While it was a good start on getting
more funding to schools, much of that $800 million went to pay the
state's share of special education costs, a debt that had been in
arrears since 2003.

Modest teacher pay increases, double-digit health care increases, new
testing and standards, technology, fuel and other expenses have driven
costs so high that state increases have barely met the cost of
inflation. That is why districts have turned to voters more often for
basic operating funds -- not just the building and other extras that
referendums primarily used to support.

Fixing the problem

To break that cycle, Minnesotans and their lawmakers must decide and
follow through on several matters: First, they must agree on a
definition of the "adequate education" that the Constitution says the
state must provide. The state is closer to meeting that goal now that
some educational standards have been established. But even that has
been complicated by federal No Child Left Behind rules and increased
emphasis on rigor and more math and science.

Next, state leaders must figure out how much it truly costs to meet
those standards.

Finally, they must reach an understanding about how to pay for
education, and then fund it in a stable, consistent manner. That is
the toughest part of the equation -- stepping up with the right
combination of (mostly) state support and some locally generated
funds.

Polls show that Minnesotans want increased investment in schools. They
are unhappy with school cuts, and supported (in 2004 and 2006)
legislative candidates who campaigned on greater support for K-12 and
transportation funding. Still, last year, Minnesota voters rejected
about 60 percent of the 74 excess-levy referendums that were on
ballots across the state -- the lowest percentage of approved school
levies since 1980.

Many voters, understandably nervous about their jobs and economic
futures, don't want property-tax hikes. Rather, they look for improved
school support from the state, where the cost can be spread among more
taxpayers.

And they are right.

Looking ahead

P.S. Minnesota, a coalition of state education groups, has developed a
preliminary framework to change how the state funds schools. And this
year, lawmakers created a task force to review the work of P.S.
Minnesota, conduct its own review and make recommendations about
possible changes. These are not the first attempts to revise the
state's complicated school-funding formula. But with citizen input and
a serious commitment to invest more in education, this effort could
work.

(c) 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.