“Why are our schools suffering? Why are property taxes on the middle class skyrocketing while our schools are giving kids less and less each year?” said Mike Adair, an Eagan resident and father of four. Adair open enrolls his kids to the Eagan school district.
Unfortunately, none of the area’s legislators came to the community meeting Saturday to hear concerns like Adair’s. The room of concerned parents, district staff and community members left the meeting asking their representatives do the same thing -- raise fair revenue to support our kids and communities.
“It’s not the district’s fault that they are squeezed dry every year,” said Adair, also a member of Working America. “This mess comes directly from the state, and our representatives need to be held accountable for making choices that hurt our kids and their schools.”
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Mike Adair was among those addressing the community forum. Photo courtesy of Working America |
State budget choices are having a big impact on Minnesota schools. Schools are starving because state funding is not keeping up with inflation. Since 2008, state funding has decreased by $727 per student when accounting for inflation. And the choice to again borrow from Minnesota schools to balance the state budget last summer left the Burnsville district with $28.2 million in IOUs from the school shift. Minnesota now owes its schools $2.4 billion, and there is no plan to pay it back.
This has a direct impact on kids. Minnesota now has the third largest class sizes in the nation. In Burnsville, the school district was forced to lay of 88 full-time positions in 2011, according the a survey done by the Association of Metropolitan School District’s. It has abandoned a proposal to cut 17 daysfrom the school calendar for next year to save $776,000, and is now considering closing a school.
Residents like Adair want their legislators to make a different choice when they pass a budget in 2013. They will be encouraging their elected leaders to adequately fund Minnesota schools and vital services by raising fair revenue.
“This is not the Minnesota I envisioned my kids growing up in,” said Adair. “Simply putting band-aids on the wounds every school year is not going to help. We need to think long-term.”
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“Why are our schools suffering? Why are property taxes on the middle class skyrocketing while our schools are giving kids less and less each year?” said Mike Adair, an Eagan resident and father of four. Adair open enrolls his kids to the Eagan school district.
Unfortunately, none of the area’s legislators came to the community meeting Saturday to hear concerns like Adair’s. The room of concerned parents, district staff and community members left the meeting asking their representatives do the same thing — raise fair revenue to support our kids and communities.
“It’s not the district’s fault that they are squeezed dry every year,” said Adair, also a member of Working America. “This mess comes directly from the state, and our representatives need to be held accountable for making choices that hurt our kids and their schools.”
![]() |
Mike Adair was among those addressing the community forum.
Photo courtesy of Working America |
State budget choices are having a big impact on Minnesota schools. Schools are starving because state funding is not keeping up with inflation. Since 2008, state funding has decreased by $727 per student when accounting for inflation. And the choice to again borrow from Minnesota schools to balance the state budget last summer left the Burnsville district with $28.2 million in IOUs from the school shift. Minnesota now owes its schools $2.4 billion, and there is no plan to pay it back.
This has a direct impact on kids. Minnesota now has the third largest class sizes in the nation. In Burnsville, the school district was forced to lay of 88 full-time positions in 2011, according the a survey done by the Association of Metropolitan School District’s. It has abandoned a proposal to cut 17 daysfrom the school calendar for next year to save $776,000, and is now considering closing a school.
Residents like Adair want their legislators to make a different choice when they pass a budget in 2013. They will be encouraging their elected leaders to adequately fund Minnesota schools and vital services by raising fair revenue.
“This is not the Minnesota I envisioned my kids growing up in,” said Adair. “Simply putting band-aids on the wounds every school year is not going to help. We need to think long-term.”