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May 2, 2000
Schools rallyfor more fundsLegislators address need for additional funding for schoolsfacing budget cutsBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer ST. PAUL -- With a projected state surplus of $1.6 billion, students and school officials rallied at the Capitol on Monday demanding a larger piece of the funding pie. The approximately 400 rally participants represented 43 districts and $18 million worth of budget cuts for the 2000-2001 school year. Sleepy Eye Superintendent Jay Haugen and two board members attended as well as GFW students and staff. The event was designed to help legislators understand the need for education funding. More than 100 districts face cuts in the upcoming year. "We're gonna speak for the future," U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone said. "We want to make it clear that we want you (the legislators) to invest in us. There is no place I should be than right here with our students." The state of Minnesota has a budget surplus, and yet school districts are facing cuts, which is wrong, he said. "This is not a rally just to have a rally," Wellstone said. "We are serious in purpose. We have to match our rhetoric with our resources. We say we care about education. Now is the time to make an investment." Approximately 61 percent of the school districts in Minnesota are facing deficits totalling $65 million, indicating that there is a problem in rural and metropolitan areas, Winona Superintendent Larry Laber said. "Many of us here in the legislation are wondering why we haven't heard about this problem," Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said. "When you start cutting a fifth of the teachers in the state for budget cuts, then they are gone." Two proposed bills for education provide approximately $300 million, but that amount isn't enough, and the debate is continuing, because no overall number can be reached, Pelowski said. "It is fortunate for education that the session ran over because we can arrive at a number that works for all of us," he said. The state budget is built partly on the backs of students, and that is where the money needs to be filtered. If the Legislature approves $150 million in tax cuts, that money will go toward education, Rep. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, said. "There is a huge difference between the two bills that are being considered," Sen. Roger Moe, DFL-Erskine, said. "Yes, we need to reduce class sizes. Yes, we need technology in the classrooms. This is an investment in our future. We can make the tax cuts, but it can be used to fund schools." The House is dedicated to slashing taxes, which is great, but to not use that money for education is not a wise use of funding, because funds need to spent where they matter, Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, said. "We have the finest schools in the nation right here in Minnesota, and it behooves us to support our schools," Sen. Dean Johnson, R-Willmar, said. There are a lot of people who are concerned about education and funding, and it is up to the leaders at the state level to prove that education is a top priority, Representative Tom Pugh, DFL-S. St. Paul, said. "We are in the middle of a battle, and schools are the pawns," Pugh said. "While we talk about tax cuts, we will be dedicated to remember education. I was shocked to learn that students study in temporary classrooms from out of date textbooks." Education should be a non-partisan effort, because it is about the future. The governor has stated that no more spending will take place this session, and lawmakers need to come together on the issues, Rep. Harry Mares, R-White Bear Lake, said. "Remember this, education is never as expensive as ignorance," he said. For years, the state has been mandating things for schools, without providing the funding, and it is time for that to stop, Rep. Jerry Dempsey, R-Hastings, said. "We need to get Ventura on our side," Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, said. "Education is not a partisan issue, and it concerns me when I walked up these steps and heard Democrat this and Republican that. We need a balance, and we need some reasonableness." The House has proposed $170 million in funding for education that will be used to soften declining enrollments, and will also help districts faced with severe cuts, such as Winona, where $2.1 million in cuts have taken place in three years, he said. "That's a lot of money, and it's never enough," Sviggum said. "I understand that."
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