South St. Paul superintendent warns district faces about $1.5 million compensatory funding loss, urges residents to contact legislators

Dr. Zambrino, superintendent of South St. Paul Public Schools, told the school board on Feb. 24 that a change in the state’s counting method for compensatory (poverty) students could reduce the district’s compensatory revenue by about $1.5 million.

That funding, he said, would drop the district’s compensatory revenue “from 4,500,000 to 3,000,000, and we’re gonna lose 1,500,000,” and would leave the district facing both smaller per‑pupil revenues and the need to “right‑size” staffing for lower enrollment. He asked community members to “reach out to our legislators, please,” and described a governor‑proposed temporary ‘‘hold harmless’’ as one possible remedy that would preserve district counts for a year while a long‑term fix is worked out.

Why it matters: compensatory funding supports programs for students in poverty, and…