Community education, ECFE programs valued
Posted Online 8/31/04
During the 2002 Legislative session, Community Education and particularly Early Childhood Education (ECFE) lost significant funding, in addition to having its per capita tax levy reduced.
As a result, Community Education and ECFE directors were forced to cut programs, cut staff and significantly increase fees.
Since all programs funded by the state took a hit, some will argue that Community Education and the ECFE program needed to absorb its losses of state funding. While the legislators cut the funding, they also mysteriously reduced Community Educationís ability to maintain revenues, reducing the per capita tax levy from 5.95 to 5.23. That suspicious maneuver cost the Elk River Community Education program $40,000 and Anoka-Hennepin $145,000. The same story can be repeated in community education programs throughout Minnesota.
In addition, the Anoka-Hennepin school district, lost $400,000 in state aid for the ECFE program and $40,000 in the school readiness program.
ECFE program directors throughout the Twin Cities area, seeing a 20 percent cut in state aid coming in year 2004-05, had no alternative but to boost the fees. Anoka-Hennepin, for example, over two years, boosted its fees 16 percent. On a sliding scale, based on ability to pay and options chosen, fees could range from $32 to $632 a school year. Still the program is subsidized by the Community Education funds. The ECFE fees in the Elk River school district were doubled.
The result of the no-tax pledge taken by Republican legislators and supported by Governor Tim Pawlenty, is parents are paying more at the local level through higher class and program fees.
This strategy of freezing income and sales tax rates at the state level is forcing local school districts to increase fees (call it fees or taxes, itís all money) and needs to be an issue in the upcoming legislative campaigns.
Voters need to ask their legislators if they intend to cut Community Education and ECFE programs even further, causing even more of a hardship for financially-strapped young homeowners.
At stake are the pre-school children whose parents need the parenting lessons and the quality time with trained early childhood educators, which is the genius of the ECFE program.
While it can be argued that all children, no matter what their early training, catch up eventually, the data shows that children who undergo early childhood education are less likely to be referred to remedial classes and to be held back a grade. They are likely to have higher grades, to mature socially and emotionally to have less absenteeism, and have better self esteem.
With such an impressive track record, legislative candidates and particularly incumbents who cut funding for the ECFE and school readiness programs should let voters know their positions on this important part of the education of children. ñ DON HEINZMAN
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