Apparently, a panel in Minnesota is going to unveil a plan to fix funding imbalances in the public schools. Minnesota Public Radio reported this morning that a legislative task force is going to unveil a plan to restructure funding of public schools to create more balance. (Click here for link to article) I haven't found the plan online yet but will keep looking...

This task force was necessary to address what DFL Rep Mindy Greiling of Roseville, MN thinks is an unfair system of educational funding in Minnesota. In Minnesota, we only spend the national average- $9138 per pupil- to ensure our kids are properly educated. (click here for article on TwinCities.com)

In Minnesota, schools are able to seek local tax levies to fund public schools beyond the state and federal contributions. If the schools are able to convince local taxpayers that the district has a legitimate need for funding, the local voters can decide to pass a levy. If the voters are not convinced, they will vote down the levy.

Imagine the notion that localities could decide how much funding their local district needs! Who would be so naive as to think that the people in a community would have the ability to assess whether or not their local school district was spending local tax dollars wisely? Whether the district needed more money? Whether the district was making good or poor decisions about spending?

Ironically, there is no winning for local communities- if local communities decide to increase funds to their school district they are giving their students an unfair advantage. If local communities deny increases in funding they are denying students equal access to education.

At the core of the effort to change the educational funding system is the intent to limit the taxpayers' ability determine whether or not to supplement local school districts funding. As soon as some district increases funding for the local district, the consequence is that kids in a district without increased funding are at an apparent disadvantage. Greiling thinks that is unfair...

We should all fear the goal of many like Greiling- total state control over educational funding. Giving the state the authority to limit local communities from offering their students more will result in a lowering of educational opportunity for all students in public schools across the state.

There isn't actually a fair way to fund schools equally at the state level because there is no way to determine a standard cost per pupil. There are so many variables- from local cost of living standards, to challenges faced by rural districts based on geography to cultural barriers to proportions of students coming to school not ready to learn... It is impossible to create a fair system of funding for schools that doesn't include the option for localities to increase funding based on unique local circumstances and priorities.

Representative Greiling and her collaborators should determine just how much money they think is required to educate children in Minnesota and then propose the state government fund schools at that level. The legislature can act- Pawlenty can veto their plan and then voters can respond in November.