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The State Legislature has been withholding a portion of money budgeted for Minnesota school funding since the delay of 10 percent in the budget for 2009. To show a balanced budget the "delayed" or shifted school payments now amount to about $3 billion.

Rep. Bob Barrett said he was one who voted (House 71-56 and Senate 36-28) to shift 40 percent of education funding up to 2014, in order to end this summer's state government shutdown and finalize the state's budget.

The study mentioned in discussions with the North Branch School Board makes recommendations to reform school funding. Barrett said he does not think this study will end up on the shelf and it will be referenced in coming sessions.

NBHS Principal Coleman McDonough was one of the appointees serving on the "Funding Education for the Future" study committee. They came from the private and public sector and not all are in the education field. The group started meeting in March and the last session was May 25, where their report was finalized.

The study advises the legislature to "...improve stability of pre-K-12 funding, simplify the system, preserve local control, close the achievement gap and direct resources closest to students, teachers and classrooms."

Recommendation highlights:

~ The existing funding formula relies on a weighted count of students attending a certain district and the way in which students are counted needs to be simplified.

~ The state can start reducing funding disparities by rolling $400 per student, of all local referendum revenues, into the basic aid formula. This is done by consolidating existing school district levies into a uniform general education levy.

The report states Minnesota would need to increase basic aid per pupil by $690 just to restore funding to 2003 levels (adjusted for inflation). The group acknowledges that even with the $400 another $290 is needed to bring the "buying power" back.

~ Allocate money to reward outstanding levels of growth in student performance. (Incentives were already included in Gov. Dayton's recommendation which wasn't adopted.)

~ Invest in early learning and beginning in 2013 have the state fund all-day K for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch as a step towards eventually providing state funding of all-day K for all.

~ Reduce state aid sent to charter schools to lease their buildings. This will give direction to charter schools to contain their building leases.

More highlights can be found by reading the working group Funding Education for the Future on the MN Department of Education website.

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