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School funding system is flawed
Published 12:00 p.m., November 4, 2009
As Pelican Rapids and Perham school district officials pick up the pieces from failed levy referenda, and determine which teachers and programs they’ll now have to cut to make ends meet, the concept behind the state funding system truly comes into question.
Several years ago, the Legislature transferred the largest burden of public school funding from local governments, paid through property taxes, to the state government, financed by income and sales taxes, on a per-pupil basis. The idea was to level the playing field among public schools. The quality of a public school district, the theory held, should not be determined by the value of properties within it.
However, in making the change, the new funding system left a loophole: allowing school districts to conduct levy referenda to obtain additional funding through property taxes. Combined with shrinking state funding, it has widened the gap between the haves and have-nots. Districts with growing enrollments and high-income communities have received additional state funding and have passed large supplemental levies. Districts with declining enrollments and lower-income communities have received less state funding, have failed to pass even smaller referenda, and have been forced to cut programs and increase class sizes.
No funding method is perfect. However, if the idea of the current school funding system was to equalize school districts statewide, it most certainly has failed.
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The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post. To post a comment you will need to register. Or, if you're already registered but have not included your true, verifiable identity with your registration, you will need to update your account to include your identity. Effective Dec. 1, 2009, all posts appear with the commenter's true identity, which must be verified by site staff. Those who registered prior to Dec. 1, 2009, should be aware that once you update your information with your true identity, all prior posts under your user name will also indicate your true identity. If you do not wish to link yourself to prior comments, you should register again with a different user name.Posted by Callie25 (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed.
Posted by HoffEditor (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed - it is a complete failure. A total sham brought to us by the Republican party, their way of reversing the "Minnesota Miracle" of 1973.
Posted by thethinker (Todd Leucuta) on November 6, 2009 at 4:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The US education system as a whole is teetering towards massive failure - and this is not due to only one party. Both sides of the aisle are to blame. In MN the DFL controls the state and has done so for many years so if you really think only 1 side is to blame it must be them. Again, I blame the entire govt for failing our youth. We live in the wealthiest, most advanced nation the planet has ever seen and yet we can't fund education? This is a dismal failure. I weep for the future.
Posted by The_Fighting_Otter (anonymous) on November 9, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The one thing that is still good about the whole thing is that they are forced to go to the public with a referendum for these monies.
The reason referendum's fail is because the lack of holding the school districts accountable throughout the year. There has been very poor judgments made by district Financial officers. Wasted spending, Un-needed expenses, and that is why the taxpayers are holding the schools accountable. Quit the wasteful spending. If you look it is not about the fact that taxpayers want certian things to fail or are against the classes or kids in the school as they so much like to push off in hopes that it will trigger anger within the district enought to pass it the next time. I believe time and time again, the people of Pelican Rapids came together last year in order to fund all day kindegarden and other things, they raised the money within the community. This shows the community is all about the education, they just don't believe it has been run efficiently. Regardless of what people may want to think. A school is a business. You have to run it like one or you will go bankrupt. Needless spending, un-necessary costs are in question, and like a board of trustees. The Taxpayers won't budge when you come calling until you make a chance.
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