Caledonia Argus

K-12 bill ìBest possible under the circumstancesî

Posted: 5/27/03

by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

The Legislature Thursday May 23 passed a $11.9 billion K-12 omnibus funding bill supporters call the best possible under the current projected deficit.

All told, the bill translates into about a two percent cut to education overall said Rep. Alice Seagren, R-Bloomington, House education finance chair.

Most of the reduction was not in the K-12 area, she said.

Between 2003 and 2004, most school districts will see about the same amount of funding, said Seagren.

But reductions in funding will appear in the second year of the biennium.

But DFLers in both House and Senate blasted the bill as inadequate.

ìThis is a bill you should be panic about,î said Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, lead House DFLers on the education finance committee.

The Republican House passed the omnibus bill 68 to 61. The DFL Senate passed the education bill on a 34 to 33 vote.

Some of the highlights of the bill include:

ïThree additional student contact days for school districts is eliminated.

ïThe Jan. 15 teacher contract deadline is eliminated for the biennium. School/teacher contract talks can go on past Jan. 15 without state sanction descending on the school district.

ïLevy referendum caps can be increased for four years by the rate of inflation if approved by voters.

ïStudents may enroll in any on-line course offered by an other school district and the district providing the class will receive funding from the studentís school district.

Class offering must meet state graduation standards.

ïThe bill waives the two percent staff development reserve fund for the biennium.

The focus of much education debate was on funding

Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, tried to personalize the cuts by citing reductions coming to school districts represented by freshmen Republican senators.

The Princeton School District will see a $23 cut in per pupil funding he told Betsy Wergin, R-Princeton.

But Wergin countered by saying that while sheís campaigned proclaiming her support of education, thereís a fiscal reality.

ìThis year we donít have the money to fix it,î she said of equity funding issues.

ìI regret it too,î she said.

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