Board reviews potential 2025 legislative priorities: data practices, funding and testing among proposals

Rochester Public School District board members reviewed a draft set of potential legislative priorities for the 2025 Minnesota legislative session during the Jan. 14 study session and asked staff and the legislative committee to refine the list ahead of the Jan. 21 regular meeting.

Board Chair Karen Nathan opened the discussion and staff noted the list was drawn from multiple sources: the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA), Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD), the delegate assembly and district input. “When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority,” Nathan said, urging focus in the selection process.

Highlights of the draft priorities discussed by the board included:

- Modify the Government Data Practices Act to reduce administrative cost and clarify permissible local uses of certain data, a measure the MSBA delegate assembly had unanimously supported; staff said the goal is to reduce burdens associated with routine disclosures and redaction workload.

- Increase the state general education funding formula rate to account for inflation and cost pressures; staff asked that the board support a multi‑year increase to preserve district program commitments.

- Increase the local optional revenue cap (local levy authority). Staff described historical context: regional differences have long existed and current figures were described in the meeting as roughly $7.24 per pupil in current law, with an inflation‑adjusted level of about $9.74 argued by some advocates; staff said raising the authorized local option could produce multiple millions in local revenue for Rochester if adopted and authorized locally.

- Continue the long‑running campaign to reduce or eliminate the special education cross‑subsidy and to increase the state share of English‑learner program costs. District speakers said recent legislative changes have gradually reduced but not eliminated the cross‑subsidy; one board discussion cited a persistent cross‑subsidy of roughly $18 million at current aid levels for Rochester and argued state action would materially improve the district’s fiscal flexibility.

- Adjust how compensatory funding is calculated now that many students receive free meals, creating gaps in the existing free/reduced form‑based method; the district said they want the state to adopt alternative measures that preserve compensatory aid while reducing the administrative burden on families and schools.

- Increase sparsity or transportation reimbursement (districts currently receive partial reimbursement for excess transportation costs); the meeting referenced current reimbursements covering about 35% of some excess costs and a proposal discussed to raise that rate toward 70% for large, geographically spread districts.

Board members also discussed education testing and accountability. Some board members and staff asked the state to evaluate whether the statewide accountability tests (MCAs) should be replaced or supplemented by measures more closely tied to college‑ and career‑readiness (for example, the ACT). Proponents said the ACT may provide more actionable college‑readiness information; opponents will note alignment concerns with Minnesota standards and implementation costs.

Director Workman and other committee members said the list will be prioritized and refined and that final recommendations will be returned to the board for action at the Jan. 21 regular meeting. Staff encouraged board members to submit suggested edits and questions to the legislative committee before the next meeting.

The board also discussed process: once priorities are approved, staff and the legislative committee will schedule meetings with the district’s local legislators and coordinate advocacy through MSBA and AMSD.