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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
GUEST COLUMN
Schools will receive delayed payments
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
An announcement Jan. 25 from the Minnesota office of Management and Budget instructs the state Dept. of Education to implement a delay in school aid payments to nearly two-thirds of Minnesota’s school districts. The payment delay begins March 15, and will continue with the March 30 payment and also the April 15 payment. By law, the delayed funding must be fully paid back to the affected districts by May 30.
The reason for the action can be found in state statute, namely MS 127a.46, which says school funding must be delayed as much as possible before any cash flow borrowing can occur. It’s anticipated the state will essentially run out of money in March, which necessitates the need for short-term borrowing. By law, the state must delay school aid payments before it can proceed with any borrowing.
This action by the state affects only those school districts with net unreserved fund balances as of June 30, 2009, of at least $700 per student. According to figures supplied by the Dept. of Education, 231 districts out of 337 in Minnesota will have their funding delayed. It’s estimated that more than $423 million in aid payments will be affected by this action.
This latest funding delay is in addition to the unallotment done by Gov. Pawlenty last summer. With his education shift then, he pushed back a portion of aid payments to schools to the next biennium or later, depending on when the state has sufficient revenue to pay it back.
A large crowd was on hand in St. Paul Jan. 22 for an MCCL-sponsored rally and March for Life. Among those speaking on the steps of the Capitol were Gov. Pawlenty and Congresswoman Michelle Bachman. Following the rally, a large contingent from central Minnesota met with Sen. Joe Gimse and me. Progress has been made in the last year as funding for Positive Alternatives was maintained in the budget, and figures show the number of abortions performed in the state in 2009 declined from the previous year.
When you drive through Brooten, you’ve probably noticed the building along Highway 55 with a baseball bat protruding from the wall. That’s the home of MAXBAT, a company that designs and makes bats for levels of play all the way from hometown softball to major league baseball.
They started in 2001 making maple bats, with the wood coming from the hard, dense forests in certain areas of Pennsylvania and New York. This year they are expanding their line to include bats made from Yellow Birch and open-grain Ash. Jason Kubel of the Minnesota Twins and Jimmie Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies are two major leaguers who use bats made in Brooten.
On a recent tour of the facility, I got to see a bat shaped on a computerized, numerically controlled lathe. After the bat is sanded, the hand work begins. Each bat has a coat of translucent dye applied to it, followed by a coat of lacquer. Then the bat is heated to bake its finish, which is followed by another sanding. The entire process is repeated again, before the decals and the engraving are done to finish each bat.
Company officials are set to head to Arizona and Florida next month for spring training. MAXBAT is one of 30 companies approved by Major League Baseball this year, and they will be trying to get more players to try their bats. A big-name player might order two dozen bats for spring training and another two dozen for opening day. Louisville Slugger is the big name in bats, but MAXBAT, with its emphasis on quality and good service, is making its own name in the business.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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