Posted: 12/28/04
Legislators say no easy fix for education funding
(Editorís note: This is the second of a two part article on an interview conducted on December 18 with area legislators Bob Kierlin, Greg Davids, and Gene Pelowski.)
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Declining enrollment and the publicís desire for local control have combined to create tough times for school districts.
Those observations by State Representative Greg Davids were part of a discussion that he and two other local legislators had with five newspaper editors in Rushford on December 18.
Davids, who lives in Preston, noted that 70 percent of the school districts in Minnesota had falling student numbers. He mentioned one school in District 31B that has a graduating class of 72 and 35 incoming kindergarteners.
Since state education aide is done on a per-pupil basis, that means school districts are receiving less money.
But people asked for local control, Davids said, and voters are defeating referendums. He gave Chatfield as the most recent example of that.
ěThey have begged us for that local control and we have given that to them,î he said.
Davidsí counterpart in District 31A, Gene Pelowski of Winona, said that legislators did not ěbackfillî when they passed the 2001 tax bill, which replaced property tax inequalities with equal funding from the state.
To make matters worse for school districts, the state made a shift in education funding to resolve a $4.5 billion shortfall two years ago. It resulted in a delay of payments from the state, so that many school districts need to borrow money to fill in for the delayed payment.
ěThis costs the school districts tens of thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars and by law we have to replace this shift at a cost to the state of about $600-$700 million,î Pelowski explained in a later e-mail to The Argus.
Profiles of Learning and graduation rule policies cost the state $250 million when they were replaced, he added.
Davids said he hoped to the state would provide $400 million to Minnesota schools in the coming budget. But declining enrollment still means many districts are losing money, he said.
A lot of the increases in funding will be eaten up by health insurance, Davids added. He is proposing a state-wide health insurance pool for all school district employees.
District 31 State Senator Bob Kierlin of Winona mentioned two keys to improving the educational system in Minnesota. One was to use technology better. The other was to recognize that teaching is an art. He compared it to good salesmanship. To be successful requires the right personality and the right motivation.
Kierlin said he opposed graduation standards. Both Davids and Pelowski said that the federal No Child Left Behind law is a hindrance. About 80 percent of Minnesota schools will not be in compliance with NCLB by 2012, Pelowski said.
ěLet teachers teach,î Davids said.
Agriculture peacemaker
In other discussion at the two-hour-long meeting, Davids gave a run-down on what he expects to see as chairman of the agriculture and rural development committee.
He is advocating a mandate that ethanol use go from 10 to 20 percent.
He also stressed the need for adding value to agriculture projects. For example, feeding and processing livestock in Minnesota can create many jobs. Defining agriculture, and working on things like issuing permits will be a priority, he said. There is room for different modes of agriculture, he said, and he will try to be a peacemaker in the process.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com