Students rally for school funding

Sleepy Eye students

praise experience of

Capitol demonstration

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Four Sleepy Eye Public High School students, took an active part in a rally for public education funding at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday.

Mock Trial team members Allison Lowther, Lindsay Morasch, Chris Haugen and Billy Jarvis read speeches to several hundred students, asking for more state spending for public education.

Despite Gov. Jesse Ventura's view students would be better off in school than at the Capitol, they enjoyed the rally.

"The governor feels that students should not be pulled out of school to push their parents' agendas," Ventura spokesman Paul Moore said Wednesday.

Sleepy Eye students felt they were pushing their own agenda and said the trip to St. Paul was worthwhile.

"It was awesome," Haugen, a sophomore, said. "There were lots of people at the rally on the Capitol steps. Lots of people gave speeches including Allie and I. Some of the speakers were really great in getting us fired up. Billy and Lindsay gave their speeches later at a press conference. We also talked to the Mankato Free Press and Minneapolis Star Tribune. It was pretty neat."

Morasch thought the event was "a good experience."

Lowther said the rally was "really interesting and a lot difference experience than what I'm used to."

Jarvis thought the rally was very informative and gave him the chance to make his feelings known to many people.

When students returned to Sleepy Eye Tuesday, they began circulating petitions calling for a state education funding increase of $400 per pupil in the basic formula allowance.

"We believe that in such prosperous times, our state has the resources to invest in our children and their education. In making budgetary decisions, we ask that education truly be the number one priority," read the petition from St. Louis Park Public School parents.

In Haugen's speech, he called Ventura's educational budget "incredibly inadequate."

While Ventura has stated that over the past decade, education spending rose by 107 percent, Haugen argued that after inflation during any recent 10-year period, financial support for regular education students has decreased.

Haugen said most of the 107 percent increase is due to inflation, state-wide enrollment increases, property tax relief, voter-approved levies , and higher special education and health care costs.

He also accused Ventura of using half-truths and intentional misinformation to avoid a dialog about funding.

"Keep the color commentary for the XFL," Haugen said, referring to Ventura's weekend exploits.

Morasch said that schools are not given enough money to adequately fund regular education and asked for state funding for state mandates.

"The programs cuts at our school were $350,000 this year," Morasch said. "The unfunded portion of special education for our school is $303,000. If the state funded programs it requires, we would not have to cut nearly as many programs."

Jarvis said Minnesota schools used to make decisions based on needs and benefits to students. Now decisions are based on having less money each year.

Haugen said he and his fellow students are interested in attending another Capitol rally May 1 when education bills move through the Legislature.

"We'd like to take 10 or more students to the Capitol next time," Haugen said. "Winona brought 270 students to the rally. We hope more school districts will take part in the next rally."

Haugen was shocked by Ventura's comments about students at the rally.

"All he could do was tell us we didn't belong there. That was very cold of him," Haugen said. "Saying that educational finance did not concern us was not true. It's my education, not his."

Haugen said he e-mailed Ventura about his statement that students were used as pawns by teachers.

"We volunteered to go to the Capitol," Haugen said.

He also e-mailed both his state legislators.

"In his campaign speeches, Ventura said he wanted youth involved in making decisions," Haugen said. "Now he says he doesn't want us involved."