Politicians may try to tout their K-12 tenderness, but consider the reality.
As the final gavel fell on the legislative session, the campaign season kicked into high gear. Politicians of all stripes were quick to claim credit for sparing K-12 education from cuts and pronounce that they had left schools unharmed.
In reality, the basic funding formula for public K-12 schools has been frozen for two years. Gov. Tim Pawlenty used the unallotment process last spring to delay $1.7 billion in aid payments to school districts. An additional $423 million in school funding was delayed over the past three months because the state didn't have the money at the time. Instead, school districts throughout the state were forced to borrow money and incur additional interest costs. The deal that helped end this year's legislative session delays an additional $200 million in school aid payments.
While lawmakers claimed credit for protecting education, the 33 school districts represented by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD) made more than $80 million in budget cuts and laid off almost 900 employees in the current school year. Next year, projected budget cuts could top $160 million and layoffs could exceed 1,700 employees.
Schools are in nothing less than a desperate situation. They have not been spared, held harmless or protected.
Once upon a time, Minnesota was known as "the education state" for its high standards and commitment to providing quality learning opportunities. During the 1990s, it consistently spent more money per pupil than the national average. It peaked at 8 percent above the national average in 1997.
But over the last decade, Minnesota's ranking has fallen dramatically. In 2007, the last year for which data is available, it spent 1.31 percent less per pupil than the national average. And according to U.S. Census Bureau data, it ranked 15th in the nation in 1995 in the amount of elementary and secondary education spending per $1,000 of personal income. In 2007, it ranked 42nd.
As a school board member, I understand that increasing student achievement is not only about money. That is why, among other reforms, the AMSD supported legislation creating an alternative licensure pathway for teachers and developing a comprehensive evaluation tool for teachers and principals. Had lawmakers adopted this legislation, Minnesota would have greatly enhanced its Race to the Top application and its prospects for significant new federal funding.
As legislative candidates campaign this year, be wary of anyone who claims to have protected education. The shift in education payments is comparable to your boss telling you that the company can afford to pay you only 70 percent of your salary this year and the other 30 percent next year if things get better. In the meantime, you still have to manage your family budget, and the company expects you to work more hours and work harder.
Minnesota can and must do much better by its schools and students.
Jon Tynjala is chairman of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts and is a Mounds View school board member.