I am on my way out of town, but before I leave, I wanted to respond to Denny's request for more information on the Governor's budget recommendations for public education. The Governor has thrown down a guantlet, a low bid for public education-- zero new revenues in the first year of the new biennium. Our mission is to get House and Senate leadership to raise the bid and convince the governor that the public wants good public schools and is willing to pay for them. We need people to act now and call their state legislative leaders. This is not a drill. Every parent, employee and friend of Minneapolis Schools should speak up now. I have asked Jim Grathwol and Josh Downham, our legislative lobbyists, to write up the following explanation on school funding for Minneapolis Issues: This week, the Governor released his budget proposals for the next biennial budget (school years 2001-02 and 2002-03). His biennial budget is heavily weighted to tax cuts and leaves little for investments in early childhood programs, K-12 schools and higher education. Despite a surplus totaling $3.7 billion, the Governor's budget would CUT $3.1 million from the Minneapolis Schools appropriation. The following link to the Department of Children, Families and Learning web page, provides a district-by-district breakdown of the Governor's proposal. Despite the rhetoric you may have heard from the Governor and Commissioner Jax, these spread sheets clearly show that many school districts would receive less revenue than last year. The web address is http://cfl.state.mn.us/dpf/govrecdistbydist2003.pdf It is very clear to me that the Governor has not heard from us. He has not heard from parents, students, teachers or school administrators. We must act now to ensure the Legislature knows we are unhappy with the Governor's education proposals. And we should let the Governor know that when he considers vetoing an education bill that provides schools with the revenues they need to continue to improve student achievement, we will be watching. There are enough resources to provide meaningful tax relief and provide schools the resources they need. What does the Governor's budget mean for the Minneapolis Schools? The Minneapolis schools are facing significant cost increases in many areas of the budget over which we have little or no control. As you have seen with your own home heating bills, the cost of heating fuel is skyrocketing. Despite a concerted effort over the past five years to replace leaky windows, tuck point buildings and update inefficient heating systems, the Minneapolis schools are anticipating heating fuel cost increases of several million dollars. Busing cost increases will exceed the budgeted amount by $638,000. And the costs estimates for next school year are even higher. Health care costs are also skyrocketing. The schools saw double digit increases in health care premiums this year and costs are projected to rise next year by as much as 22%. English Language Learner and special education enrollments continue to expand while the Governor proposes no new revenues to meet these needs. We are projecting a budget shortfall of $29.4 million for the next school year. The Governor's budget would increase the shortfall to $32.5 million. The impact on schools would be devastating. We must work to inform legislators that this is unacceptable. Governor Jesse Ventura 130 State Capitol 75 Constitution Avenue St. Paul, MN 55155-1606 Voice: 651-296-3391: Fax: 651-296-2089 Message for Governor Ventura: Your education budget proposals provide no resources for public education in the first year of the biennium. Schools cannot raise standards, sustain recent achievement increases, and reform teacher compensation without support from the state. The budget surplus is large enough to provide meaningful tax relief and funding increases for schools. Schools are struggling to meet current law mandates like special education and seeing double digit health care cost increases and skyrocketing fuel costs. Please provide leadership at the state level to ensure districts have the resources to offset these costs. Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe 208 Capitol, St. Paul, MN, 55155-1606 Voice: 651-296-2577 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your past leadership and support for public education. The Governor's education proposals mean schools will have to make real cuts and that student achievement will suffer if his budget is adopted. Our schools are raising test scores, innovating in teacher compensation, implementing high standards and increasing schools accountability. We can�t do that without your support!!! Please use this projected budget surplus to make a significant investment commitment to K-12 Education. We appreciate your past leadership and continue to count on the Senate to make strategic investments in public education that promote teacher quality, increase student achievement, and enhance school accountability to the students and families they serve. Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum 463 State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155-1206 Voice: 651-296-2273 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your past leadership and support for public education. The Governor's education proposals mean schools will have to make real cuts and that student achievement will suffer if his budget is adopted. Our schools are raising test scores, innovating in teacher compensation, implementing high standards and increasing schools accountability. We can�t do that without your support!!! Please use this projected budget surplus to make a significant investment commitment to K-12 Education. We appreciate your past leadership and continue to count on the House to make strategic investments in public education that promote teacher quality, increase student achievement, and enhance school�s accountability to the students and families they serve. For more information, you can call the MPS Public Information Office 668-0230. Thanks for your support, Catherine Shreves Minneapolis School Board Chair _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
