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A panel of leading lawmakers and the state PTA president gave their peace about the last legislative session and discussed their goals for the coming session at a forum sponsored by the College Democrats.
While the state has greatly boosted financial support for education, panelists said it isn’t enough to make up for years of inadequate funding.
The bump in aid for K-12 education was historic, PTA president and local state senate candidate Sharon Erickson Ropes said.
“I think $800 million is a huge success,” she said. “(But) it’s still a finger in the dike.”
After making up for previous cuts to base funding for higher education, Sen. Sandy Pappas,
St. Paul, said funding for the state college and university system is the same it was four years ago, when adjusted for inflation.
Rep. Gene Pelowski, Winona, said the state revenue shortfall was made up by student tuition.
This next legislative session which begins in March will focus largely on bonding, state borrowing for building projects.
Pelowski, Winona, and Pappas said the state should fund requested repairs for college buildings, before constructing new ones, as proposed by the governor.
“How can we build new buildings when we’re not repairing the roofs we have?” Pappas said.
Sen. John Hottinger, Mankato, said he wants to see previous cuts to early childhood education and childcare fully restored.
Only Democrats were invited to speak Tuesday.
Rep. Mark Buesgens, a Republican who heads the education policy and reform committee, said he hopes legislators will consider ideas like allowing school districts to deconsolidate or alternatives ways for skilled professionals to teach without a traditional education degree.
“It was a whole lot of status quo (last session) when it comes to policy,” the Jordan lawmaker said.
Buesgens also said last session’s $800 to $900 million boost in K-12 education funding was “a sizeable increase.”
While the majority of the increased funding came from state coffers, a portion is also from local property taxes, Buesgens said.
Erickson Ropes disparaged this move to property taxes and the increased burden on local communities.
However, Buesgnes said education leaders have supported revenue coming from property taxes because it is a more stable funding source.
Minnesota School Boards Association spokesman Greg Abbott said top issues for school districts next session will be the restoration of funding cuts for early childhood education, and upping state support for kindergarten programs, currently funded part-time.
Abbott predicts districts may also lobby the state to subsidize their fuel and energy costs.
The association is also interested in repealing a new state law that prohibits the school year from starting Labor Day or earlier.
Reporter Shannon Fiecke can be reached at (507) 453-3519 or shannon.fiecke@winonadailynews.com.
