The House Education Finance Committee is taking up legislation to increase the basic education aid formula by 2% each year of the biennium and tie future increases to inflation. The hearing, scheduled for TODAY, Wednesday, February 10 at 10:30am. Rep. Zack Stephenson D- Coon Rapids is the author of HF 843, which is supported by education organizations from across the state.
Schools need stable, predictable funding. By linking the basic education aid formula to inflation, this bill would allow districts to plan their budgets and invest in needed classroom materials and staff.
The unpredictability of the state’s current education funding system requires districts to notify staff of layoffs, only to rescind the layoff notices if the legislature provides funding sufficient to cover inflationary increases in expenditures. The boom-bust cycle of education funding is demoralizing to staff and makes it very challenging to plan for and make needed changes and investments in our schools.
