Sen. Dean Johnson: “Pawlenty’s Duck, Bob & Weave”

04/28/2005

Senate Majority Leader Dean E. Johnson
208 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St.
Paul, MN 55155-1606
651-296-3826
sen.dean.johnson@senate.mn

April 26, 2005


Last week, Governor Pawlenty accused Senate Democrats of ducking, bobbing and weaving in regards to announced budget parameters.  I would respectfully suggest that the Governor look at the log in his eye rather than point out the speck in our’s.  For demonstration purposes, please look at the Governor’s education proposal:

Duck

Duck tough decisions; blame school boards and teachers.

For schools to realize much of the revenue the Governor claims he’s providing, school boards must raise property taxes.  He refuses to do the heavy lifting himself, yet doesn’t hesitate to take credit for their work.

Pawlenty voted to fund education through the general fund in 2001. Since then, he has ducked his responsibility to do so. It’s easy for Pawlenty to shift the burden to school boards, and even easier to blame them for increased property taxes.  It is hypocritical for him to take credit for increased money for education.

Bob

Bob the recommendations of his Education Finance Task Force and the Department of Education

The Governor set up an education finance task force which was charged with simplifying education finance. However, the Governor changes the formula weights and creates additional formulas in direct contrast to his own charge of simplification.

The Governor’s task force’s documents indicate that education funding is under funded by as much as $750 million. The Governor disbanded the task force before it completed the task of determining the cost of educating students because he did not approve of the obvious outcome- that a significant increase of real resources was necessary to maintain our educational programs at a high level.

The Governor’s Department of Education issued a report called “Set the Price,” indicating schools are under funded by over one billion dollars. Now, the Governor has proposed eliminating the “Set the Price” report.

Weave

Weave together an education funding package so convoluted and complicated that Minnesotans can’t understand it.

Six thousand Minnesotans rallied for education funding on February 28th at the Capitol. Thousands of Minnesotans have contacted the Senate asking for increased school funding this session.

To answer these concerns, the Governor not only manipulates the formula weights, but he de-links programs from the formula.  He creates additional formulas and shifts recognition of property taxes. In the end he created an education finance proposal that even he cannot explain, and that most Minnesotans do not understand.  Simple is far to complicated for this Governor.

John Pollard
Communications Director
Office of Senate Majority Leader Dean E. Johnson
208 Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
Phone: (651) 296-1224
Fax: (651) 225-7571
John.Pollard@senate.mn