Home > News & Events > 2009 News > 2004-2008 News > 2006 News	Print View

Star Tribune Editorial

This 70 percent solution is 100 percent unnecessary.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has often criticized Minnesota school districts for having "too many steps between superintendents and students." To drive home that theme, his recent TV campaign ad again suggests that all districts be required to spend at least 70 percent of their budgets in the classroom.

During the 60-second commercial, the governor supports increasing school funding, but adds that more dollars should go directly to students in classrooms -- not to more administrators.

On the surface, that might sound sensible as Pawlenty says "not here" to spending in front of a door labeled "Assistant to the Assistant Deputy Vice Administrator." Trouble is, there is little evidence that Minnesota schools overspend on administration.

On the contrary, last year a state auditor's report on Minnesota K-12 spending supported the case that school leaders have made in recent years: Funds have not been wasted on too many "central office" types; rather, funding has not kept pace with increasing costs.

In addition, state legislators rejected the "70 percent" plan two years in a row for good reasons.

A one-size-fits-all percentage spending mandate reduces districts' much-needed flexibility. Small, outstate districts, for example, may need to spend larger percentages of their budgets on things like transportation and administrators to oversee more than one school.

Leaders of each district are best suited to decide whether to spend on counselors, librarians and other support staff; those employees can be equally important to students' academic success.

Furthermore, Pawlenty's insistence on pursuing this plan seems like a solution in search of a problem. State figures show that the average Minnesota school district already devotes slightly more than 69 percent of its budget to instructional costs. A total of 67 out of the state's 343 districts currently spend 70 percent or more of their funds at the classroom level -- including St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Under the 70 percent plan, districts such as Mounds View, Bloomington and Roseville would have to shift amounts as high as $4.8 million. Why should the state force high-performing districts to rearrange budgets when their choices are working?

Rather than focus on an arbitrary funding ratio, voters should be quizzing gubernatorial candidates about a range of K-12 issues -- including how best to fund schools.

Pawlenty is right to seek accountability in school spending. But his 70 percent plan is not the right way to get there.

http://www.startribune.com/561/story/665257.html