MREA released a map today of the Minnesota Department of Education’s 5th to 95th Percentile Funding Report. This map shows the inequities in funding based on Basic Formula, Equity Aid and Voter Approved Referendums. View the interactive map. Of the three formulas included in this statutorily required report, the voter approved referendum has the largest impact on disparities in funding. 94 districts (28% of … Read More
Voter Approved Referendums Mask the Effects of Special Ed Cross Subsidies
MREA released a map today that reveals voter approved referendums masking the effects of special ed cross subsidies. Voter approved referendums are mitigating the effects of special ed cross subsidies. A thumbnail of the map is below. Click here to view the interactive map. The ability of communities to approve operating referendums coupled with special ed cross subsidies creates geographic … Read More
Teacher Health Insurance Bill Heads in Different Directions
By Vernae Hasbargen, MREA Lobbyist For 10 years, Education Minnesota has worked to create its own insurance pool and when that strategy was not successful, they moved in a different direction, forcing teachers in small districts into an insurance pool for public employees called PIEP. The Senate and House took different actions on the bill in its first committee stop … Read More
Forecast Changes the Playing Field
By Vernae Hasbargen, MREA Lobbyist The long awaited forecast of the money Minnesota will have to spend over the next two years produced surprising results and opened the door for legislators “to think big again” as Paul Marquart put it. He is chair of the House K-12 Finance Committee and in a key position to do something with that additional … Read More
Map Shows Where Voters Approved Referendums
A map created and released by MREA today shows where voters have approved referendums across the state. The map visually represents voter approved operating referendum dollars per resident for AMPCU Pay 2013. A thumbnail is available below. View the interactive map. The map reveals the lowest voter approved referendums in the North Central and northeastern areas of the state. Key … Read More
Four Bills on School Levy Reform Reach Senate Committee
The Senate Tax Committee last week took up several bills that would reform school levies. Seasonal and Recreational Properties SF 386 (Saxhaug) would return seasonal and recreational properties (non-residential homes) back to school district Referendum Market Value (RMV) and take them out of the statewide property tax levy. Pelican Rapids Superintendent Deb Wanek testified in support of the bill. She … Read More
State Forecast Brings Good News for Schools
The new state economic forecast released on Thursday contains good news. For starters, the projected budget deficit for the next biennium shrunk to $627 million. This is an improvement of $463 million over the $1.1 billion deficit that initially projected in December. The forecast also contains good news for the current biennium. The state is now projected to end the … Read More
Map Shows Adjusted Net Tax Capacity per ADM
MREA released a map today on the Adjusted Net Tax Capacity (ANTC) per ADM.This map paints a complex picture on where the most inclusive measure of property value per ADM is. View the interactive map. See more maps. Here are some key findings: The rapidly increase Ag land values are having an impact in rural districts with smaller ADM’s. The Central … Read More
Sequester Among Issues in NREAC Legislative Agenda
The National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition (NREAC) released its 2013 Legislative Agenda, which addresses sequestration. MREA is among the state and national organizations concerned about educational opportunities for children who live in the rural areas of the United States that make up the Coalition. Sequester Begins The sequester began March 1 and unless modified by congressional action, it will reduce … Read More
School Payment Shifts Explained
School payment shifts work in Minnesota during economic down turns, because the state and schools are use different accounting systems. MREA has joined other education associations opposing accelerating the repayment of the shift beyond current law. Dennis Peterson, superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools, recently provided a clear explanation why the payment shift works and the importance of delaying the repayment … Read More