Richfield school leaders urge state fixes as funding shifts cut compensatory education roles

Richfield Public School District leaders presented a legislative platform at a study session that asked state lawmakers to address cuts to compensatory education funding, growing special-education shortfalls and new unfunded mandates that the district says are squeezing classroom supports.

Superintendent Yudowski summarized the district’s top funding concern: “We are looking for permanent funding for future compensatory education,” saying recent state changes tied to universal free meals and direct certification have left the state funded “at $35,000,000 less than last year” and produced what the district estimates will be about a $1,500,000 reduction in compensatory-education services next year. “We’re going to have to reduce reading teachers, math teachers, and supports to students in poverty,” Yudowski said.

The request framed why the issue matters: compensatory-education dollars support extra academic staff and services aimed at students in poverty, and district leaders said the shift to universal free meals plus the move to direct certification has altered how students are identified for supplemental funding. Yudowski told legislators and local officials the measurement change has moved money away from districts with higher proportions of families who previously completed free-and-reduced-price forms.

Board Chair Carter opened the session and introduced state lawmakers and local officials. State Rep. Julie Green attended and asked about enrollment trends; the district reported it has remained roughly flat in recent years and presently serves about 4,210–4,250 students. The district said roughly 17% of students (about 700) attend via open enrollment and that about 200 students live in Edina. The board also said it capped open enrollment this year because a shortage of available local teachers made it impossible to add staff later in the year.

Yudowski flagged other budget pressures: a $3,100,000 shortfall in combined special-education and English-language-learner funding even after recent increases, and new state expectations, including unemployment-insurance and paid family medical leave costs that added roughly $200,000 last year alone. Changes in universal pre-kindergarten eligibility were also cited as a source of future funding loss.

On policy priorities beyond funding, the district asked lawmakers to support: - Protections for immigrant and refugee families, including stronger data-privacy safeguards tied to state-required forms so families are not deterred from completing documentation that affects compensatory funding; - Continued investment in diversifying staff and sustaining progress in hiring teachers of color, which the district said rose from about 4% in 2018 to roughly 18.5% in 2024; - Restoration or new funding for targeted services and culturally responsive summer programming that the district said have been frozen for more than a decade; and - Greater local control over mandates, including allowing districts more choice in standardized tests and reducing state paperwork requirements for special education that exceed federal requirements.

State Rep. Julie Green said she will follow up on enrollment data and that she sees overlaps between Richfield’s platform and priorities in neighboring districts. “I really appreciate the work that school boards do,” Green said, and asked the district to share details so she can raise the compensatory issue in committee conversations.

State Sen. Wicklund, chairing the Health and Human Services Committee, described the constrained budget environment and said early-learning programs recently moved into the Department of Children, Youth and Families will be part of her committee’s work this session. She encouraged continued conversation on the district’s requests and noted that budget competition will be intense across education and human services areas.

No formal votes were taken at the study session. District leaders and legislators agreed to follow up: the district will provide requested numbers and supporting materials to lawmakers to aid legislative consideration going into the session.

The meeting closed after public comments and brief remarks from the city mayor and other local officials who voiced support for the district’s legislative agenda. The board said it will reconvene for its regular meeting at 7 p.m. and continue to coordinate with lawmakers as bills are introduced.