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District administrator urges action on school funding equalization and local optional revenue
Summary
In the administrative report Mr. Elstad told the Owatonna School Board the district’s share of state equalization funding has fallen sharply over a decade and recommended focusing on equalization and exploring local optional revenue as legislative priorities.
Mr. Elstad presented the administrative report and asked the board to prioritize state equalization and consideration of local optional revenue as part of the district’s upcoming legislative platform.
"Ten years ago, in our district, the state was paying approximately 65% of the per-pupil unit equalization for us. Now they're at 25%," Mr. Elstad told the board, calling the change a roughly 40-percentage-point reduction that "needs to be addressed." He also noted the board has authority to assign up to $724 per pupil in local optional revenue (an amount unchanged since 2013) and said the district recently retained two lobbyists to advance these items.
Mr. Elstad reminded trustees of an upcoming board data retreat on Nov. 7 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the district office professional development center and described plans to facilitate a community book study of The Anxious Generation focused on teen mental health and technology.
The remarks were delivered as part of the administrative report; the board did not take immediate action on funding items during the meeting but will discuss legislative priorities at a subsequent session.
