Now that the Minnesota Legislature is adjourned and the Governor has signed the final education bill, it’s time to reflect on what really happened (in the Minnesota Senate) to insure special education funding was addressed. In this blog and elsewhere I have been urging our elected officials to address the problem. While the House had other worthy provisions in their version of an education bill, the Senate came out strong with a proposal to address the special education funding problem.
The credit starts with a White Bear Lake school board member, Sandy Rummel. Now a new (elected 2006) State Senator, Sandy believed that the best way to help schools across the state, and to help those who were hurting most, was to remove the cap on the special ed growth factor.
When the fiscal analyst for education ran the numbers, a map of the state showed virtually every district needed between $250 per pupil to $500 per pupil in order to free up their general funds for regular education. In other words, in 2003 the state “capped” the growth factor to help balance the budget. In 2005 that meant school districts picked up the state’s $61 million unpaid bill; by 2007 that unpaid bill was $132 million and by 2011 it would have grown to $353 million. If the cap would not have been removed most districts would be bankrupt in a short time. Money on the formula was simply going in one door and out the other.
This information then went to Larry Pogemiller, who signed on. Sandy Rummel carried the bill. I’d like to thank her and other Senate leaders who made this happen. Sandy made a big difference in this legislative session with true leadership.
