Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legislative Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent, board push state lawmakers for fair funding; district warns of possible $1.2M cut to compensatory aid
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Lewis and board members described ongoing legislative advocacy to secure compensatory funding and other formula fixes, arguing Fridley faces large funding disparities and urging constituents and lawmakers to act.
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Lewis and board members used the March 18 meeting to update the board on legislative advocacy aimed at preserving and improving state school funding for Fridley Public Schools.
Lewis said the district is advocating to avoid a planned cut to compensatory education funding that could reduce Fridley’s revenue by roughly $1.2 million absent corrective action. She said when enrollment and direct-certification calculations are done correctly the district could be slated to receive about $200,000 more than the cut would remove, and she opposed making preemptive budget cuts.
"I refuse to make budget cuts on that," Lewis said, adding the district would continue to fight proposed reductions. The superintendent and board members also highlighted concerns about equalization and the distribution of state aid across districts, noting that Fridley’s tax base and funding position make it one of the larger losers under current formulas.
Board members described recent lobbying work at the state capitol, including meetings with lawmakers and testimony to a finance committee. Topics the district is following include compensatory funding, Q-Comp (teacher compensation programs), literacy-aid funding and a proposal to index poverty differently — a change board leaders said could help or harm Fridley depending on the final calculation.
The superintendent said the district supports fully funded literacy mandates and asked the board and community to continue advocacy. Board members also raised non-fiscal priorities such as the option for boards to decide whether to hold school board elections in even years and unemployment insurance continuity for non–year-round staff such as paraeducators and nutrition service employees.
The update concluded with the superintendent reading a statement urging fair funding and community advocacy: "Public education is not a partisan issue. It is a fundamental right... Our students deserve better, and we are doing more with less." The board took no formal legislative positions during the meeting beyond the ongoing advocacy described; the session was informational and intended to coordinate district lobbying efforts.
