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"The budget side of the deal was announced and ratified by the conference committee on HF 1812 just before sunrise Sunday morning and the tax conference committee is receiving its finishing touches. There is some consternation about the tax conference committee, as the Governor appears to have won on the issue of a property tax cap of 3.9% for cities and counties (not counting levying for police) for the next three years. Legislative leadership wanted to have the cap apply for only one year. So, stay tuned. And the news is comparatively good for E-12. The contents of HF 6, the bill passed by the Legislature last Tuesday and subsequently vetoed by the Governor on Friday, were amended into HF 1812, the mega-ginormous budget balancing bill, and are slated for approval. Again, the primary elements of that bill include:

• $51 per pupil unit in one-time money.
• $51 per pupil in one-time transferability from operating capital to the general fund.
• Increased revenue for pre-kindergarten screening.
• Increased revenue for the school milk program.
• An extension of the special education task force.
• An appropriation for the Principals' Leadership Academy.
• A correction in the referendum ballot language for referendum renewal questions.

"This isn't going to magically make the kinds of deficits we are looking at throughout Minnesota disappear, but it certainly is appreciated and does show legislative support for correcting the financial plight being faced by school districts."

Mary Cecconi
Parents United for Public Schools
1667 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108
651-999-7391
www.parentsunited.org

 Brad's Blog   Sunday, May 18, 2008