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The Legislature’s Constitutional mandate

Why Levies? Parents United for Public Schools Committed to quality public schools for ALL children A Crossroads for Public Education in Minnesota Parents United for Public Schools … Committed to quality public schools for all Minnesota children. The Legislature’s Constitutional mandate.

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The Legislature’s Constitutional mandate

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  1. Why Levies?Parents United for Public SchoolsCommitted to quality public schools for ALL childrenA Crossroads for Public Education in MinnesotaParents United for Public Schools…Committed to quality public schools for all Minnesota children

  2. The Legislature’s Constitutional mandate Section 1.”UNIFORM SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools.The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.”

  3. The first provision: Per pupil formulaset by the state legislature every two years. Per pupil formula (Set by State Legislature) x AMCPU (Adjusted Marginal Cost Pupil Unit) = District Operating Funds

  4. Per Pupil Formula Analysis

  5. But what happened with costs?

  6. History of the per pupil formula

  7. Tax changes in the 90’s State policies changing property tax • Lowered taxes on commercial property • Agricultural and recreational land removed from the equation for school taxes The 2001 General Education Buy Down • The state picked up school costs once paid by local property taxes • Passed half of the legislation—the liability was accepted, without a stated revenue stream to support it.

  8. Requirements for public schools grew while revenue did not • Testing • Standards • Special education mandates • Transportation • English Language Learning • Health and safety mandates • Physical Education • HIV/AIDS Sex Education • Drug/Alcohol Abuse Education • Bus Safety • Title 1 programs • 100% Rule

  9. How did schools survive? • Hoped for Growth • Spent fund balances down • Made cuts • Passed Local Levies

  10. What Cuts?The effects of this decade to public schools • Less administration—R&D • Greater reliance on local levies • Fewer Art/Music programs • Fewer Gifted/Talented programs • Books older than the kids • Cutting or charging for transportation • Higher fees • Larger class sizes • Fewer enrichment programs • Fewer intervention programs • Deferring maintenance to facilities • Greater reliance on parent fund raising • Greater reliance on the classroom teacher • Fewer fund balances; higher cost for districts to borrow money

  11. So why levies? The second provision: Local levies To fund schools, the state has made a provision for local taxpayers to provide up to 26% of the per pupil formula in local levyauthority or $1332 additional dollars for their local schools.

  12. And where is Minnesota now with levies? • 1990 47% of school districts in the state of Minnesota had levies in place • 2000 that number rose to 88%

  13. Maybe we should just lower our expectations….

  14. Minnesota Future Labor ForceTom Gillaspy

  15. 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 18-24 800,000 65+ 600,000 5-17 400,000 200,000 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 By 2020 65+ is Larger than K-12By 2030 65+ Doubles Tom Gillaspy

  16. So who will make up this future workforce? Those sitting in our classroom today— and who are they?

  17. Since the 70’s we have made it a point to educated ALL of our children. 1975 –”Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” (IDEA), Public Law 105-17 • Brought 1 million children who were previously kept at home or in institutions into the public school system. • Federal government agreed to pay 40% of excess cost to educate these children. It has never provided 40% • In 2004, Minnesota school districts reallocated $378 million meant for regular education instruction to provide state and federally mandated special education programs

  18. Population ChangeTom Gillaspy

  19. Change In Minnesota School Enrollments 1999-00 to 2004-05 By Language Spoken At Home Tom Gillaspy

  20. Kids Count findings Children’s Defense Fund • Most recent data shows: • About 1 in 10 MN children under 18 live in poverty • Estimated 7,000 more children living below poverty line than 5 years ago • 68,000 uninsured children • Greater participation in Food Support and Free and Reduced School Lunches

  21. So…Who makes up our future workforce? • More children requiring Special Education services (SpEd) • More children needing English Language Learning services (ELL) • More children qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunches (FRL)

  22. Yet: Schools and Revenue in the 90’s Increases in new students Increases in expectations Increases in cost Schools Incometax reductions Property tax reductions Business tax rate reductions Revenue

  23. Price of Government in MinnesotaJohn Gunyou The Price of Government is the State of Minnesota’s official measure and is factored as total revenue as a percentage of personal income.

  24. So Why levies? Because school funding is needed to: • Prepare ALL students for 2020 • Help students meet state and federal mandates. • Provide for the economic security of your district and the State of Minnesota It’s their future, but it’s our responsibility

  25. Parents United Working to engage concerned citizens in the conversation around public policy and its effect on our public schools www.parentsunited.org Advocates for Minnesota’s Public Schools

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