Education Bills Offered by the House and Senate Would Bring Some Good News, Some Bad to St. Michael-Albertville School District

As the Minnesota state house and senate move forward on their efforts to balance the state budget, K-12 education is getting into the mix with a couple massive bills that, if passed by Gov. Mark Dayton, could bring some changes, for better and for worse, to the St. Michael-Albertville school district.

If the bills are passed, one positive change for STMA would be to eliminate integration aid to schools in the state, leaving the state to disburse the dollars to all schools for use in their general funds. Since the St. Michael-Albertville district does not receive integration aid, they would be on the positive side of this deal, receiving an additional $35 per pupil the first year and $58 additional per pupil the second year on, equaling out to $500,000 to $1 million annually. The schools that would lose out would mostly be Minnesota’s largest cities, but could also be trouble for some of STMA’s neighbors, including nearby Monticello.

“This would help give some greater recognition that the current funding formula is not equitable for districts such as St. Michael-Albertville,” said assistant superintendent/superintendent elect Dr. Jim Behle.

What inequity, you may ask? The St. Michael-Albertville school district currently ranks 326 out of 338 Minnesota school districts in terms of dollars received per pupil unit. Despite being in the bottom five percent for revenue per pupil, Behle was quick to point out that their schools rank in the top 20 percent in the state for student achievement.

"It's a matter of leveling the playing field," said Sen. Amy Koch. "Right now, the city schools are clearly receiving more money per pupil, and it isn't even close."  

Head of the House education finance committee, Rep. Pat Garofalo, said the integration program has done little to bring low-income or minority students’ achievement levels up, according to the Huffington Post.

 "We've been spending this money for a long time, and Minnesota has one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation," Garofalo said. "We have to come up with better ways to spend these dollars."

Another measure that could positively impact STMA is a provision where school districts that pay off the principle balance of a capital loan could have the remaining interest forgiven within a few years. This would be a big boon for the district’s capital loan on Middle School West.

 These proposed bills aren’t all roses, however. The main issue concerning STMA and other school officials is the measure that would freeze special education spending at current levels for the next couple years. Although districts would be given an additional $100 per pupil during the freeze, Behle said the effects of this provision would be difficult to compensate for.

 “This could impact us as much as $100 per student per year and is certainly not a measure we support,” he said.

In fact, that $100 per year would offset any gains the district would have made through the end of the integration program.

All of these measures, of course, aren’t a sure thing until Dayton gives his final thumbs up or thumbs down on the bills, which are currently in conference committees. At this point, all signs lead to a governor veto as the balance of power continues to struggle along in Minnesota politics.