| School funding bill needs a miracle |
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By T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter The bill promises to kick the Anoka-Hennepin School District’s funding up by more than a third — the Lakeville, Farmington, Burnsville school districts could see similar increases. But the New Minnesota Miracle bill might require one. The House K-12 Finance Committee today (Feb. 10) took testimony on House File 2, an education finance reform package DFL lawmakers have dubbed the New Minnesota Miracle. The legislation, which revamps the state’s school funding formula, has drawn barbs from groups like the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce for its cost — billions — and Republicans have criticized for coming at the worst possible moment. “The reality is the bill is incompatible with fiscal situation of our state,” said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, lead Republican on the House K-12 Finance Committee. “The problem is the cost,” said Garofalo. “At the end of the day, that’s why it won’t become law,” he said. But some witnesses appearing before the committee argued that pursuing the legislation was sound. Sauk Rapids-Rice School District Superintendent Greg Vandal, of the education advocacy group PS Minnesota, spoke of a recipe of funding fairness being contained in the bill. “This is a good bill,” he said. A representative of Parents United for Public Schools asked committee members if now was not the time to pass the bill, when? School District 197 School Board Member Reine Shiffman argued that education was one of cheapest means of safeguarding the future. “What’s the cost of not footing the (education) bill,” she asked. House K-12 Finance Committee Chairwoman Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, indicated that even with flat K-12 funding this session elements of the bill could be put into place. It was always intended to be phased-in, she said. She’s intent, Greiling explained, to see the legislation advance in a “small but significant way.” Greiling rebuffed criticism from the Chamber of Commerce about the cost of the bill — it contains property tax relief, she pointed out. “Who’s the biggest griper about property taxes around here?” she said of the chamber. The committee took no votes on the New Minnesota Miracle bill. Rather than giving the K-12 finance committee a flat budget target, Garofalo expects the House Ways and Means Committee to call for “at least” a $1 billion in cuts over current spending levels. Not that Garofalo rejects the so-called New Minnesota Miracle in terms of education reform. Indeed, if the state did not face a big budget deficit, Garofalo could support the bill. “I could,” said Garofalo. The state’s current funding formula is broken, and House File 2 is a step in the right direction to fix it, he explained. Comments (0)
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