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You may have heard about a recycled pitch for school district spending that recently resurfaced this week. This latest proposal calls for Minnesota school districts to spend at least 70 percent of their budgets on classroom expenses - an increase from last year's call for 65 percent.

What's our reaction to this idea?

Mounds View practices and supports spending as much money as possible in the area of instruction. And when it comes to our overall record on student achievement and fiscal efficiency I'm very proud to say our spending is working very well:

* Mounds View Public Schools consistently ranks among the highest-performing districts in the state, with test scores routinely ranking in the top 10 of metro districts.

* Every year since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act, all of our schools have met the requirements for achieving adequate yearly progress.
* A recent State Auditor's report shows Mounds View receives less revenue than most other comparison districts and ranks in the middle of the metro comparison districts for operating expenses.

Re-defining classroom instruction
Clearly, Mounds View is producing outstanding results in a fiscally efficient manner. But how much of our budget do we spend on classroom instruction? The answer depends on what you consider classroom instruction. In 2003-04, we spent 71 percent of our general fund budget on student instruction and support. Yet by the State's definition of classroom instruction, Mounds View spent 67 percent - arguably still a very respectful proportion.

Unfortunately, the State's definition of classroom instruction only includes expenses like teachers, instructional supplies, and vocational and special education instruction. This short-sided definition ignores several groups of employees including library media specialists, computer and information technology instructors, guidance counselors, nurses and social workers. Considering the increasing demands we place on students today, I think many would agree that these employees provide important instructional services that are critical to our students' education.

Administrative spending
Supporters of this proposal suggest that one solution is to shift money away from administrative spending and to put those funds into the classroom. Yet targeting administrative costs will miss the mark in Mounds View because administrative spending is not preventing us from reaching the 70 percent goal. In fact, the State Auditor's report shows that over five years, we've actually spent -7 percent (that's negative spending) in administration, while at the same time, other districts spent on average +11 percent.

Instead, we believe we fell slightly short of the 70 percent goal in 2003-04 as a result of increased spending in maintenance and building operations during our recently completed five-year construction effort. By design, we completed as many health and safety improvement projects as were necessary and possible during this window of time to increase work efficiency on our aging buildings and to minimize long-term disruptions to students and teachers. I think this represents good planning, and it's safe to assume that spending will decrease in this area now that this major effort is complete.

Will it improve achievement?
Critics of this "70 percent solution" and similar nation-wide proposals call them "input-driven," arbitrary (Why 65 percent? Why 70 percent?) and without any meaningful or measurable outcomes. There also is no evidence that shows spending a particular percentage in instruction will yield improved student achievement. Spending this percent in instruction doesn't automatically lower class sizes, improve teachers' skills or provide individualized instructional opportunities. I share all of these concerns.

Mounds View is a state-wide educational leader within a state that leads the nation. We consider continuous improvement in academics and finances worthwhile goals. Arbitrary requirements that hold no promise of improvement - like the "70 percent solution" - will contribute little to our progress.

http://www.moundsviewschools.org/about_district/index.asp?DocID=1100