Integration funding for schools is challenged

A key Republican lawmaker wants to scrap state funding for a school integration program that he said does not work.

Rep. Pat Garofalo of Farmington, who heads the House Education Finance Committee, said the program -- which is disbursing $64 million in state funds this year -- has done little to close the achievement gap between white students and many of their low-income or minority peers.

"We've been spending this money for a long time, and Minnesota has one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation," Garofalo said. "We have to come up with better ways to spend these dollars."

School leaders and lawmakers on both sides agree that the integration program is flawed. But Garofalo's proposal has drawn sharp criticism from those who say it should be fixed, not ditched.

Roseville Rep. Mindy Greiling, the ranking DFLer on the committee, said she agrees that the program needs reforming, but that eliminating funding would be "way too drastic and very unfair." The urban districts hit hardest would be those struggling most with the achievement gap, she said, and pushing them "off a funding cliff" would not help.

The legislative auditor's office found fault with the program as far back as 2005, saying in a report that it lacked a clear purpose.

The auditor noted that racial disparities were growing, not shrinking, between some districts that got funding. And some districts with relatively few minority students get far more money than others with high poverty and diversity.

Besides $64 million in state aid, the 125 districts in the program are getting $27 million in locally levied integration dollars this year, according to the auditor's office. Funding goes to magnet schools, field trips that bring together students from different schools, diversity training for teachers, and more.

A report issued last month by the Minnesota Department of Education noted that the state lacks a system for measuring the success of school integration efforts. It recommends creating an assessment plan with measurable goals, and funds targeted specifically to high-diversity districts. Those districts should have to show progress toward clear integration goals to keep getting money, the report said.

Many lawmakers who represent suburban or outstate communities complain that Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth get too big a chunk of integration funds. Greiling said she agrees that the money should be distributed differently, but said changes should be phased in to soften the blow to urban districts.

Minneapolis public schools are getting $16.8 million in state and local integration funding this year. Much of that pays to bus students to magnet schools and to a program that helps middle-of-the-road scholars step up academically and go on to college, said Jim Grathwol, who lobbies for the district.

What has failed?

He contends the money has been well spent in Minneapolis, even though the community is more segregated than 15 years ago. "I think what has failed is a strategy that relies solely on schools as the engine for integration," he said, as opposed to one that includes housing, transit, and economic policy.

State leaders may agree that the purpose of integration funding needs more clarity, but they disagree on whether the primary goal is physically integrating schools, closing the achievement gap, promoting interaction between white and minority children or a mix of all those.

The Education Department's February report said that outcome of state-funded integration efforts should be "focused specifically on achieving physically integrated school sites and districts" and raising achievement, particularly among minority students.

Garofalo says raising achievement should be the top priority. Asked whether he believes physical school integration is worthwhile, he said, "I think a more worthwhile goal is improving students' reading, writing and math skills."

Money taken from the integration program could be redirected to other educational purposes, Garofalo said, such as increased aid to charter schools. Garofalo's proposal will become part of the education omnibus funding bill, to be introduced next week.

Katharine Tinucci, a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Dayton, said Dayton opposes cuts to integration funding.

Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016