Its Time for a New Minnesota Miracle

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Its Time for a New Minnesota
Miracle
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An overview of Minnesota
Source Minnesota
Department of Education

• Population 4,919,479 (2000 census)
• 829,184 kids in public K-12 schools
• 50.5 K-6
• 49.4 7-12
• 13 receiving special education services
• 7 English language learners
• 31 qualify for free and reduced lunches
• 1881 schools
• 52,796 teachers
• 341 school districts

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Our Population

Source Tom Gillaspy, MN state
demographer
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Change In Minnesota School Enrollments 1999-00 to
2004-05 By Language Spoken At Home
Source Tom
Gillaspy, MN state demographer
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Kids Count findings Source Childrens Defense
Fund

• Most recent data shows
• The number of children living in poverty in
  Minnesota is at the highest level of the decade
• 12 of children under 18 live in poverty50 are
  under age 5
• 20 of Asian children, 26 of Hispanic/Latino
  children and 45 of African American children
  live in poverty
• Three states had higher poverty rates among Black
  children than Minnesota--Mississippi, Louisiana
  and Oklahoma

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of MN children rated not yet performing
adequately at Kindergarten entrance Source
Brookings Institute
Language and literacy
Mathematical thinking
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Special Education Requirements

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA) 1975 brought over 1 million children who
  were previously kept at home or in institutions
  into the public school system.

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Other mandates

• No Child Left Behind
• Proficiency Testing
• Grad Standards
• Special Education mandates
• Transportation
• English Language Learning
• Health and Safety mandates
• Physical Education
• HIV/AIDS Sex Education
• Drug/Alcohol Abuse Education
• Bus Safety
• Title 1 Programs

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How we fund schools

• Per Pupil Formula (Set by the Legislature)
• x AMCPU (Adj. Marginal Cost
  Pupil Units)
• District
  Operating Funds
• Present Pupil units Kindergartners .612
• Grades 1-3
  1.115
• Grades 4-6
  1.06
• Grades 7-12
  1.3

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History of the Basic Formula
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If we had linked the per pupil formula to
inflation where we have been?
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Minnesota school districts respond

• 1990 47 of school districts in the state of
  Minnesota had levies in place
• By 2008 that number rose to 90

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So how does HF 4178 address these needs

• An adequate formula, linked to inflation, using
  targeted dollars for special student and
  district needs, reduces or eliminates a
  districts need to use general education dollars
  to buy special services AND allows for local
  levies to be used for local initiatives.
• Provides early learning, rigor, an extra boost
  and infrastructure!

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HOW?

• Sets the basic per pupil formula high enough to
  cover students basic instructional needs while
  other component formulas can be used for specific
  additional needs
• Increases the per pupil formula allowance from
  5175 to 7500.
• All students count as 1.0
• Currently we weight Pupil units
• Kindergartners .612
• Grades 1-3 1.115
• Grades 4-6 1.06
• Grades 7-12 1.3
• Ties the per pupil formula to inflation using the
  Implicit Price Deflator

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Provides for early learning

• Dependable funding for
• All Day K or early childhood
• Early intervention programs

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Provides for academic rigor

• Academically rigorous coursework
• Lower class size
• Directed funds for innovation, career and
  technical education and gifted and talented
  programs so districts can provide a level of
  funding for students in each of these areas

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Provides that extra boost

• Links ELL to the formula, lifts the cap and
  increases the reimbursement (20 of the formula
  allowance)
• An additional 2500 (33 of the formula) for
  children who qualify for Free and reduced lunch
• Funding for students to spend more time in
  schoolie summer school
• Fully funds the states formula for special
  education costs

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Provides infrastructure

• So that buildings and buses support learning,
  not compete with it HF 4178 provides
  transportation dollars and dollars to maintain
  school district buildings.
• Creates hazardous pupil transportation aid and
  5 of district total transportation budget for
  bus purchase
• All school boards may levy for cost of deferred
  maintenance

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• Has a mechanism to help districts deal with
  declining enrollment
• Provides funding for regional cost differences
• Sparsity funding for our more rural areas remains
  essentially the same as it is today but decreases
  minimum sparsity distance from 19 to 15 miles.

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• For our kids to succeedall four legs of the
  table are critical!
• Early learning, rigor, that extra boost and
  infrastructure!

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• So how does a school funding bill help
  Minnesotas bottom line?

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Minnesota Future Labor Force
Source Tom
Gillaspy, MN state demographer
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By 2020 65 is Larger than K-12By 2030 65
Doubles Source Tom Gillaspy, MN state
demographer
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Our E-16 population is more diverse
Source Tom Gillaspy, MN state demographer
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State Education and Minnesota Demographic
Change Source Tom
Gillaspy, MN state demographer
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The 15,000 students that did not graduate from
Minnesota high schools in 2008 cost Minnesota
Source
Alliance for Education Excellence

• nearly 4 billion in lost lifetime earnings
• 224 million in lifetime health care costs
• The loss of 829 million more in accumulated
  wealth than if all heads of households had
  graduated
• a combination of savings and revenue of more than
  77 million in reduced crime spending and
  increased earnings if the male high school
  graduation rate increase by just 5

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And Minnesotas Tax Rankings? Source
Minnesota Budget Project
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And our Price of Government?
The Price of Government is the State of
Minnesotas
official
measure and is factored

as total state and local
revenue as

a percentage of personal income.
Data Minnesota Department of Finance
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And school funding?
Source Public
Education Finance reports
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A Smart InvestmentA Constitutional mandate

Source Minnesota Constitution
Article XIII, Section 1

• Section 1.UNIFORM SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
  The stability of a republican form of government
  depending mainly upon the intelligence of the
  people, it is the duty of the legislature to
  establish a general and uniform system of public
  schools. The legislature shall make such
  provisions by taxation or otherwise as will
  secure a thorough and efficient system of public
  schools throughout the state.

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Minnesota Future Labor Force
Source Tom
Gillaspy, MN state demographer
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So what can I do?

• Get involved!
• Learn about how funding decisions affect your
  schools and ultimately impact kids.
• Develop a relationship with your legislators.
• Get involved in a local legislative network so
  that you know what is happening at the Capitol.
• Join Parents United network to receive electronic
  legislative updates and alerts at
  www.parentsunited.org
• Organize a Legislative Action Committee in your
  community.
• Spread the worduse local papers and the ball
  fields to tell your stories and educate your
  community about the REAL needs of our schools.
• Make a road trip to the Capitol. Let your
  legislator know you are following their efforts.
• Make education a campaign issue by attending
  candidate forums and asking about education.

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Online Resources--addendum

• HF 4178, the proposed amendments, and a
  district-by-district spreadsheet of proposed
  revenue by school district are available online
  by searching House File 4178 on the Minnesota
  House of Representatives websites home page or
  by going directly to the following webpage
• http//www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp
  ?Billnumberhf4178ls_year85session_year2007se
  ssion_number0
• Detailed descriptions of Minnesotas current
  school finance system can be found here
• http//www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/issinfo/ed
  _k12.htmFIN
• and here
• http//www.house.leg.state.mn.us/fiscal/files/07f
  ined.pdf

5/28/08
Minnesota House of Representatives
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General Education ComponentsCurrent Law vs. HF
4178--addendum
5/28/08
Minnesota House of Representatives
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