Education Plan Calls For More Classroom Spending

01/11/2006

Proposal from Pawlenty would require schools to shift costs

BY MEGAN BOLDT
Pioneer Press

Minnesota could require school districts to spend at least 70 percent of their money in the classroom under a proposal unveiled by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Monday.

Pawlenty said the debate over education shouldn’t be about just funding — it should include how that money is spent. But school administrators argue that the proposal would take away local control and that the “one-size-fits-all” approach doesn’t take into account how different school districts are.

“Our major concern has been that those decisions are best left to the local officials,” said Bob Meeks, executive director of the Minnesota School Boards Association. “That’s why we actually elect school board members.”
State Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said driving more resources away from administration and into teaching children is important, especially when Minnesota is demanding more academic rigor in schools.

“We tend to start putting layers of bureaucracy in place over time, but we don’t re-evaluate where those services actually should be going,” Seagren said. “And we believe it should be in the classroom.”

Pawlenty said his plan would shift $112 million from bureaucracy to the classroom. Classroom expenditures under the proposal would include money spent on teachers, classroom aides, special education costs and instructional supplies. What wouldn’t count is money spent on administration, support services, maintenance, staff development, athletics and extracurricular activities.

Some costs that would not be included in the calculation are those for transportation, food service and community education.

School districts on average spend 69.2 percent of total expenditures in the classroom under Pawlenty’s formula, and he said 67 of the state’s 343 school districts already exceed the 70 percent mark.

There would be no penalties if districts did not meet that 70 percent mark. They would have to submit a three-year
plan to reach that threshold. The state Education Department also could provide waivers for districts under extraordinary circumstances.

South St. Paul is among the majority of districts that don’t meet the 70 percent threshold. Under the governor’s formula, the district spends 65 percent of its money on instruction.

Superintendent Dana Babbitt said there are areas that are important to student learning that aren’t categorized as classroom spending. Maintaining a clean and comfortable school building keeps kids focused, he said. And athletics and extracurriculars motivate children — and those students tend to do better in school, he said.

Plus, some districts have made progress in cutting administrative costs, Babbitt said. South St. Paul in three years decreased administrative spending from 9 percent of its budget to 3 percent.

“I think the governor is forgetting that local control is pretty important,” he said. “We’re in a better position than the governor to figure out what’s right for our community.

Roseville Superintendent John Thein said each school district offers different services based on what its residents want. His district runs a community center, and some of those costs aren’t just for instruction.

“It might not go into the classroom, but it sure does provide a community service,” he said. “One size doesn’t fit all.”
Roseville would have to make some major shifts — about $4 million — if legislators approve Pawlenty’s plan. The district spends about 62 percent of its budget on instruction, according to the Education Department.

Pawlenty pushed a similar plan during the last legislative session, but it never made it through. Using a different formula, it would have required school districts to spend 65 percent of their money in classrooms.

“It’s not going to solve all the problems. It’s not going to change the world,” Pawlenty said. “It is one ingredient to a better school system.