ISD 199 Budget Update
Published on May 2, 2017 17:14

Dear families/caregivers,

If legislative proposals currently being considered by the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives are enacted, ISD 199 could face up to $3 million in cuts over the next two years.

The state has a surplus of $1.65 billion. Majority leaders in the Senate and House have proposed annual increases of 1.5% and 1.25%, respectively, for basic education funding.  Alternatively, the governor’s proposal would provide public schools with funding increases of 2 percent per year to the basic formula with the possibility of Pre-K funding and additional Special Education funding.

Since 2003, state general education funding has not kept up with inflation. This has amounted to a 9.1% gap in funding by the end of 2016. A 2% increase amounts to about $450,000 for ISD 199. Special Education is a mandated service for our kids, but it is also significantly underfunded for our district by about $3.5 million, which must then come out of general education funding. Even a 2% increase does not allow ISD 199 to keep pace with inflation.  The shortfall in school funding since 2003 (9.1%) has put more and more districts in the position of having to go to local voters to seek approval of operating levies to fund schools.

Inflation vs. General Education Budget Across Years

Due to the shortfall in state education funding, along with a declining enrollment, the school district will need to make budget adjustments totaling $1.2 million for 2017-18 with an additional adjustment of $1.2 million projected for 2018-19. Any state funding increase less than 2% will add to the amount of adjustments needed. The potential of going to local voters this fall to fund our schools is something our school board will take into consideration.

State funding for education is determined by the legislature. Our legislators are:

Sen. Matt Klein, 651-296-4370[email protected] 
Rep. Regina Barr (52B), 651-296-4192[email protected]

Regards,
Dave Bernhardson, Superintendent
Matt Schaefer, School Board Chair
Sue Gliva, School Board Vice Chair/Treasurer
Sherry Warrick, Clerk
Rachel Hanson, Board Member
Paul Mandell, Board Member
Cindy Nordstrom, Board Member
Lynette Stensgard, Board Member

www.isd199.org