(KNSI) — As a new school year arrives, administrators are voicing their displeasure with the Minnesota legislature’s lack of action on education funding this session while sitting on a projected $9.25 billion budget surplus.
Ann-Marie Foucault leads the St. Michael-Albertville school district. She says they’ve had to cut 78 staff positions in the past two years. “We lost a lot of teachers and staff members, paras, custodians, bus drivers because we weren’t able to pay them this last spring or the year before, too, and that’s very disheartening.”
Citing rising expenses and revenue declines, she says that makes it hard to afford to pay highly trained educators, and in the end, it’s students who miss out. “We’re moving into having 25 to 27 kindergarteners in a class, which is horrendous. We have 43 to 48 in our high school classes after two years of cuts.”
Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Matt Hillmann says they avoided budget cuts the previous decade. But declining enrollment and other factors led to a $4.5 million reduction plan this year. Hillman adds they can’t lean on budget reserves forever.
“We see potential budget reductions again on the horizon, and the pressures that we have are no different than the pressures that other districts have. And this is what I hear from my colleagues across the state.”
School referendums in central Minnesota were a mixed bag last month as voters in the ROCORI district overwhelmingly rejected a $72 million proposal for upgrades and improvements to building security measures, technology and facilities. Melrose also had a $29 million referendum rejected. Voters in Kimball said no to $2.29 million in upgrades and improvements to buildings and parking lots, but yes to $8.1 million in security upgrades, adding classrooms, and remodeling.
With the general election just two months away and every seat in the House, Senate and Governor are all up for re-election, a special session to pass supplemental funding packages will not happen.
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MNC Reporter Mike Moen contributed to this story.
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