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Update for January 2008 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director

A New Year, a new legislative session, new opportunity to do good things for our children and the public schools that serve them!

If this is the first Update you have received from Parents United—welcome! If you have been with us for awhile—thanks for tuning in! If you think of others who may want to sign on during the legislative session to find out what public policy is being discussed at the state level that will affect our local schools, please forward this email to them. And if you have received this email and want to learn more about us, please check our website.

In This Issue

2008 Legislative Session
Per pupil formula changes
Caucuses February 5
Hot Topics

Looking ahead to the 2008 Legislative Session
The 2008 legislative session begins on February 12, 2008. The November budget forecast was less than stellar and showed that the state will have a $370 million shortfall. The more concerning number is a projected 3.3% decline in sales tax revenue and a 14.3% decline in corporate tax revenue. The reason these numbers are of concern is that they show an ongoing decline. Before anything really happens with the state budget, elected officials will wait for the February forecast.

A few things that I have heard about what is being sought at the state level:

• An additional percentage on the per pupil formula. A simplified way to look at this is that for every 1% addition on the formula it costs the state about $49 million (approx. 1 million pupil units x 1% of the formula = $49 million).
  
  
• Conversation continues around investing in early childhood education and college access and readiness.
  
  
• The Senate Education Committee spent the summer and fall meeting on a variety of subcommittee topics. The intent of these subcommittees is to study an issue and devise relevant legislation. Many of these subcommittees have become joint committees, joined by their House counterparts. Having these committees taking the time to study outside of the heat of the session has been very instructive and has the potential of being productive.
  
  
• With the joint task force taking a look at the per student formula, we hope to see some work come forward that might look at a better funding formula. Caution, editorial note ahead: Just shuffling money around in a new formula does not help our schools. The formula needs to be funded and fixed.

Background on the formula: In 2005 when the P.S. Minnesota study was commissioned, the Myers study showed that schools were underfunded by a billion a year. That number was based on 2003-04 data.

The sheer number of schools going to their communities for referendum dollars this past November was a clear sign that our schools need more resources. Looking even more closely at those referendum requests, districts were looking to simply maintain existing programs. If the expectation is that all students are ready for post secondary education, we need to do much more than simply maintain. 2008 is NOT a funding year, but 2009 is. We need to gear up for how we can better resource our schools.

It is no secret that the state of Minnesota needs dollars for our transportation systems and health care, but it is not wise to pit one needed service against another. All of our public infrastructure needs to be appropriately resourced in order to produce a viable economy.

In this issue

A reminder of the change in the per pupil formula from the 2007 legislation (link to our June 1 Update for a summary of the 2007 omnibus education bill):

The 2007 legislative session saw a 2% addition on the per pupil formula in the first year of the biennium and a 1% increase on the per pupil formula during the second year. The special education inflator that was repealed in 2003 as a “cost saving measure” was reinstated and a large portion of the cross subsidy caused by this repeal was funded.
Many legislators were very frustrated with this outcome but without an increase of revenue, this was the best they could muster.

February 5 Minnesota Caucuses!
For the last several months there has been a great deal of conversation about caucuses. While we hear about the presidential outcomes of these caucuses, we hear precious little about the other very important role they play in the political process: they serve to advance local resolutions for consideration in a party’s platform, resolutions such as requiring the federal government to pay for the mandates they impose on our schools.

This year Minnesota’s caucuses will be held on February 5 and if you believe that great schools begin at the ballot box, you'll find that the issues and candidates on those ballots will be decided through the caucus process. So, to be truly involved in the political process that ultimately affects our schools, we need to be present at those caucuses. Find out more about the caucus process in Minnesota!

In this issue

Hot Topics

• Schools Suffer Five Years of Financial Drought - New research proves what educators already know: The state is financially starving Minnesota schools. Revenue for Minnesota public schools has dropped 4.4 percent since 2003. While state support for schools has dropped precipitously, attempts to make up the difference by increasing property taxes have come up short, Minnesota 2020 (Local Impacts).
  
  
• Minnesota ranks 22nd on school finance equity and spending indicators, continuing slide to "middle of the pack," Quality Counts 2008: Minnesota State Profile (page 12), Education Week.
  
  
• Minnesota's Science Standards: Public comment and review committee members sought.
  
  
• From the Minnesota Budget Project, Policy Choices Contribute to State's Budget Woes.
  
  
• Government Revenues Decline - But "no new tax" state leadership doesn’t deserve the credit, Minnesota 2020.

In this issue

Thank you! to our many generous donors. Our 2007 campaign brought in the highest amount ever from individual donors. Your contributions are essential to our work: half of our annual budget relies on the generosity of folks like you. For more information on how we use your donations or to make contributions, check our website.

Questions? Email Mary Cecconi

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