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House OKs freeze of school funds
The House OKs a plan to keep education funding at $13.7 billion for two years, while Pawlenty wants to spend more.
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The Minnesota House passed a bill Thursday that keeps school funding flat over the next two years, almost guaranteeing deep cuts in school district budgets.
The depth of the pain for schools awaits a hashing-out between the House measure and the one passed two weeks ago by the Senate, which cuts school funding 3 percent over the next two years. There's some irony in the Senate and House votes: DFLers hold majorities in both chambers, and generally push hard for big school funding increases. On the other hand, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proposed the only school funding increase this year.
The House bill, approved after almost six hours of debate, holds state education funding steady at $13.7 billion over the next two years. But it would offer major payback down the road for this year's fiscal austerity. It proposed a "New Minnesota Miracle," to be phased in over four years beginning in 2014, that would plow about $2.3 billion more a year into schools once it's in place.
The measure is named after the so-called Minnesota Miracle, which in the 1970s shifted much of the responsibility for funding schools from property taxes to the state. The New Minnesota Miracle has a $600 million provision for property tax relief.
Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, couldn't resist tweaking DFLers over their role reversal on school spending. He wondered why the DFL-oriented Education Minnesota teachers union hadn't voiced support for Pawlenty's funding proposal.
"The hypocrisy is unbelievable," he said. He also criticized DFLers for the New Minnesota Miracle proposal, which he said "kicks the can down the road four-and-a-half years."
In a letter expressing concerns about the House bill, Pawlenty slammed the New Minnesota Miracle not only for its price tag, but because "the initiative is sadly devoid of reform that would directly impact student learning." He wrote that the school funding proposal would have to change significantly before he would sign it into law.
But DFLers defended the bill as the best they could do in tough economic times.
"When we had the biggest deficit I can remember, we have steady school funding," said Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, and the chief bill author. "I'm optimistic we can all come out of this with hope for the future, which is what we're really after in this bill."
The bill passed 85 to 48.
Although this House bill is bad news for schools and symptomatic of an ailing economy, it at least has one advantage for school districts: Many are preparing their next year's budgets based on getting no new money from the state, meaning their efforts are in sync with the House bill.
The House and Senate must meet -- likely next week -- to iron out their differences and come up with a education funding bill acceptable to both chambers. Eventually, school funding will get tangled up with different tax proposals and cuts to other areas of state funding before schools know how they fared in the 2009 legislative session.
Tighter charter school rules
The House bill also tightens up regulations on charter schools, which are public schools established to serve particular student populations and allowed some flexibility to develop programs. Among other things, the bill restricts the organizations that can sponsor charter schools, requires training for the sponsors, and restricts the number of charter school board members who are related.
The bill attempts to lighten the financial load on schools somewhat by reducing special education requirements, and allowing schools more flexibility in how they use their funds.
One topic that generated vigorous debate had nothing to do with school funding. It involved the perennial effort by legislators and educators to allow school to start before Labor Day.
A measure suggested by Rep. Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester, would have allowed schools to start at any time before Labor Day as long as they didn't schedule classroom days on the Thursday and Friday before Labor Day. That last part of the proposal was a nod to the state's hospitality industry, which opposes starting school before Labor Day, arguing that it damages tourism. Currently, schools can start before Labor Day only under certain circumstances.
The proposal ran into a firestorm of opposition from DFLers and Republicans.
"This amendment is not only a job killer, it's a profit killer," said Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township. "We should not be contributing to the recession killing northern Minnesota."
Norton argued that the measure would shift summer resort business more toward the beginning of the season, when school would likely end earlier, than the end. "Lots of folks would like to take their holiday in June," she said.
The measure was defeated 71 to 61.
Norman Draper • 612-673-4547
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
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