Letter: Encourage the state to fully fund our schools

But there is one thing we don’t need a strategic process to tell us: Stable funding is the biggest challenge the district faces.

Bloomington Public Schools had to make $3.5 million in budget cuts in 2020. Without Minnesota legislators stepping up to fully fund public education this session, we will be back to facing cuts again soon. What does “fully fund” mean? Here are some examples.

Bloomington’s special education cross-subsidy – the amount taken from the general fund to cover special education costs – is $12 million this fiscal year alone. Our English language learner cross-subsidy is more than $3 million. That’s $15 million that Bloomington Public Schools is underfunded for critical services for some of our highest need learners.

With a historic $17.6 billion surplus, we are urging legislators this session to fully fund special education and English language services, and increase the basic formula allowance by a minimum of 5% each year of the biennium, indexed to inflation going forward.

The formula for funding schools changed in Minnesota in 2003. In the 20 years since, Minnesota schools have fallen 18.4% behind inflation. That’s $1,263 per student, or almost $14 million, that Bloomington Public Schools critically needs.

In closing the special education cross-subsidy, the English language learner cross-subsidy, and inflation gaps, Bloomington would have almost $29 million more per year to serve our students, their families and our community. Imagine what providing “engaging, high-quality lifelong learning opportunities, enriching the lives of our diverse community” would look like with fully funded schools.

The Bloomington School Board urges all members of our community to contact their legislators and ask them to support fully funding Minnesota’s schools through closing cross-subsidy gaps, increasing formula allowances and indexing to inflation going forward. It’s what’s right for students. It’s what’s right for families. It’s what’s right for staff. It’s what’s right for our community.

It’s what’s right for all of us.

Heather Starks

Bloomington

Starks is the chairwoman of the Bloomington School Board.