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Board hears legislative briefing: mixed signals on school funding, special-education cuts and safety aid
Summary
Superintendent Funk summarized a legislative trip with AMSD: Senate education proposals include compensatory hold‑harmless protections and $44-per-pupil school-safety aid, while the House removed a proposed $250 million special-education cut; district staff warned uncertainty remains as sessions and election dynamics shift.
Superintendent Funk (speaker 9) briefed the board on recent meetings at the Capitol with the Association of Metropolitan School Districts and local legislators, describing a split picture between the Senate and House on several education items.
Funk said the Senate has an omnibus education finance proposal that would hold districts harmless on compensatory funding (the district estimate was roughly $60,000 for Stillwater) and add school-safety aid of about $44 per pupil (roughly $370,000 if enacted). He cautioned these items were Senate proposals and that the House had not advanced comparable measures.
Funk also discussed a high-profile proposal to reduce special-education aid statewide by $250 million; he said the House voted to eliminate that reduction during committee action while the governor's recommendation included a larger potential cut. Funk said the district's estimated share of a $250 million special-education cut would have been approximately $1.7 million in future years.
The superintendent outlined a constitutional-amendment proposal to alter how the permanent school fund is allocated; if passed by the legislature and voters, Stillwater could see an estimated ongoing increase of about $400,000 annually starting in a later budget cycle.
Funk also described a policy conversation around food-service fund balances. Universal free meals increased participation and food-service reserves statewide; those funds are currently restricted to food-service uses. District representatives discussed with legislators whether a limited one-time transfer of food-service reserves to the general fund could be authorized for districts facing large cuts, though Funk said he did not expect immediate action.
Board members who attended AMSD meetings described productive conversations with legislators but emphasized the overall uncertainty given split chambers and an upcoming election cycle. Funk encouraged community members to contact legislators about potential special-education cuts.
