Education
Omnibus education law Education funding
Minnesota’s public school districts and charter schools will be supported by about $11.9 billion in state general
fund aid for 2004-05.
The law sets the following state education appropriations:
• general education funding at $9.95 billion,
• special education funding at $1.27 billion,
• early childhood programs at $92.4 million,
• adult education programs at $71.9 million, and
• state education department and academies at $81.5
million.
The latter category includes $47.3 million for the renamed
Department of Education, which administers K-12 funds, policies, and
regulations. The state’s Board of Teaching will collect an additional $10 per
license in fees from teachers during the next two years. Teachers and
administrators’ licenses will cost $57.
One-time transition revenue totaling about $35.7 million in
the state funding plan is expected to help schools match their existing
classroom spending. Nearly two-thirds of the transition state aid is for fiscal
2004, however, leaving larger cuts proposed for fiscal 2005, particularly in
supplemental education programs. School districts will have the option in fiscal
2005 to replace the transition revenue through property tax levies.
Locally generated property tax revenue, the other major
source of education funding, will provide an additional estimated $2.56 billion
for school districts during the next two years.
The law provides no increase in levy authority overall for
districts to seek additional revenue from property taxpayers, but some suburban
districts will have authority to seek small inflationary increases in operating
revenue through tax referenda.
School districts with lower total property value will
receive more state equalization aid, and equity revenue for small rural
districts will also increase.
Among other provisions:
• Approximately $102 million is allocated for extended day
school programs,
• A framework and a funding mechanism for online learning
programs is established,
• Waived for the next two years is a state requirement for
a Jan. 15 (in even-years) teacher contract deadline in school district
negotiations,
• Permits local chambers of commerce to become sponsors of
public charter schools under certain conditions,
• Leaves of absence granted by a school district for a
teacher to teach at a charter school is limited to five years,
• The Duluth School Board may by resolution reduce from
five to three the number of at-large school board members, and
• Redfines a middle school to mean a school with a minimum
of two, instead of three grades between grades 5 and 9.
Rep. Alice Seagren (R-Bloomington) and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief
River Falls) were the sponsors.
2003 Special Session:
HF51*/SFnone/CH9
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