Let's Be Honest About School Funding
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DFL-endorsed candidate for Governor Margaret Anderson Kelliher is the only candidate in the race for Governor who has proposed comprehensive education funding reform. Kelliher is committed to the New Minnesota Miracle – a plan to deliver fair, equitable, and stable school funding for every district in the state.
“As a working mom with two kids in public schools, I know the challenges facing Minnesota students,” said Kelliher. “Our state needs a Governor who will stand up and fight for our kids, and give every student a world-class education.”
A plan proposed by Matt Entenza would put at risk $440 million in federal funding for Minnesota schools – making our state the first in the nation to deny badly needed federal funding for education in a time of deficit.
“We must reform No Child Left Behind,” said Kelliher. “But cutting $440 million from K-12 classrooms – causing higher class sizes, more four-day school weeks, and additional teacher layoffs – is the wrong thing to do. What Matt Entenza has proposed is shortsighted and fiscally irresponsible.”
As Governor, Kelliher will stand up for Minnesota students and teachers, partnering with Minnesota's congressional delegation to make necessary, common sense reforms to NCLB.
At the same time, Mark Dayton’s education plan would funnel more money into an outdated, broken school funding formula that picks winners and losers, and relies heavily on property tax increases.
“My opponents have proposed unrealistic education plans that either dramatically cut school funding or throw scarce state resources down the rabbit hole of a broken school funding formula,” said Kelliher. “Neither plan addresses the challenges facing our schools. Minnesota students deserve better.”
Kelliher has laid out a visionary and aggressive vision for comprehensive education funding reform. She supports the New Minnesota Miracle because it will provide fair, stable, and equitable school funding for every school district in the state. Because of the fiscal constraints of the looming budget deficit, Margaret would responsibly phase-in the new formula over six years. Here’s how the plan works:
The New Minnesota Miracle
- Simplifies and increases state public school funding
- Is fair, balanced and needs based
- Reduces property taxes
- Lays a foundation for every student to succeed when they graduate from high school
Highlights of the Plan
- The proposal begins a phased increase to school funding of $1.7 billion while reducing property taxes
- Increases the formula allowance from $5,124 to $7,500, indexed to the implicit price deflator
- Uses a scalable blueprint that can be phased in over six years
- Equalizes the pupil weighting system for students in kindergarten through high school to 1.0
- Enhances compensatory aid and funding for English language learners
- Fully funds voluntary all-day kindergarten
- Fully funds state special education costs by removing existing caps
- Provides flexibility for districts to fund early childhood programs
- Accounts for declining enrollment in every geographic region of the state
- Includes a levy referendum offset of $500 per pupil in districts with levies; provides $500 per pupil to districts without a levy in place
- Includes innovation and accountability measures including a requirement that a district use at least 1.5 percent of its basic revenue for innovation, research-based programs to improve academic performance
Kelliher’s leadership delivered the largest increase in school funding in a generation – $800 million in 2008. Over her four years as Speaker, education funding increased $1.6 billion. And in 2009 and 2010, Margaret fought to protect education funding from deep cuts.
“Good jobs and great schools have to be our top two priorities,” said Kelliher. “As Governor, that’s what I will fight for. And Minnesotans can be confident I will deliver results – because I have done it, time and time again. I will never give up, and I won’t quit on our students and hard-working Minnesota families.”