When voters approved the levy in November, they endorsed a series of spending priorities for next school year. You will probably recall that these priorities included:

* Keeping class size averages similar to our current year’s averages.
* Maintaining a curriculum and program that is competitive.
* No increases in transportation fees.

As our district is beginning to build a budget for next year, what kind of progress are we making towards these goals?

Every year, the School Board approves a series of budget assumptions that form the basis for the final budget it approves in June. This week, our School Board reviewed a report illustrating how our budget assumptions for 2007-08 are addressing the levy spending priorities approved by the Board. I invite you to look at the report on our Budgets and Finance web page at www.moundsviewschools.org. You’ll see that we’re planning to direct $6.1 million next year towards fulfilling the levy promises made to voters.
 
Successful levy + 2% = no extras
Some might think that a more stable financial future for our schools lies ahead for two reasons:
1. Voters approved the levy.
2. The governor is proposing to give school districts a two percent increase.

Together, these two events appear to give Mounds View additional revenue. But the truth is, long before we requested levy support from voters we projected a budget already assuming a two percent increase from the state. The levy was requested because a two-percent increase alone did not prevent budget shortfalls for 2007-08. So the two percent increase is hardly considered a windfall. A more realistic budget projection, based on Mounds View’s enrollment projections and budget assumptions, will be presented at the next School Board meeting on February 13.

Even with this two percent assumption – and the additional levy dollars – our district faces significant shortfalls in a few years. Why? Our schools continue to suffer from the long-term effects of inflationary expense increases while enrollment continues to decline – along with the total per-pupil revenue we receive. At the same time, state and federal mandates like special education and No Child Left Behind remain far from fully funded.

So how much is enough? If legislators addressed Mounds View’s 2007 Legislative Priorities, our schools would have sufficient revenue to accomplish their goals. I encourage each of you to learn more about these priorities by visiting our legislative web page at www.moundsviewschools.org/legislation.asp.

The next few months represent the best opportunity in the next few years for improved school funding. Learning a few of the basic funding facts – and a willingness to make your voice heard – can go a long way towards finding solutions to the state-wide financial challenges of K-12 education.