Garofalo-led Omnibus Education Bill Doesn’t Cut School Funding, But Reductions Could Come Elsewhere

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Last week, State Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-District 36B), of Farmington, introduced this year’s massive omnibus K-12 education finance bill to the House. The bill makes a few changes, but as an overall measure, doesn’t reduce education funding on a per-pupil basis for school districts around the state.

But that doesn’t mean cuts aren’t coming.

Garofalo is on record saying he believes the $64 million given to schools by the state for integration programs should be eliminated and a bill to cut the entitlement is likely this session.

Lakeville is a recipient of more than $2 million in integration dollars per year after being deemed racially isolated from the Burnsville, Eagan, Savage School District by the state. There’s a large difference in the number of minority students between the two school districts and the integration money is used for programs that are supposed to foster integration of students from district to district and help cut the achievement gap between white and minority students.

But Garofalo points to Minnesota having one of the largest achievement gaps in the country as evidence it’s not working.

If a bill eliminating integration dollars is authored, it would likely be rolled into the omnibus education bill (HF0934), and the funds would be reallocated.

As for the omnibus bill, the only major change is that the Perpich Center for Arts Education’s status was changed from a state agency to a charter school.

Meanwhile, State Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-District 36A), of Lakeville, introduced a House bill that would convert the tobacco products tax on most chewing tobacco from a tax based on a percentage of the wholesale price to a weight-based tax.

Under current law, the tax is 35 percent of the wholesale price (plus an equal amount under the health impact fee for a 70 percent rate for the combined tax and fee). The bill, HF1079, proposes a $1.45 per ounce tax. The health impact fee would double this to a total rate of $2.90.

State Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 36) of Lakeville, authored four bills last week, the most notable of them being a bill that changes probationary teacher and principal status requirements.

Generally, the current law states a teacher can attain tenure if retained by a school district after one year, or three years if it’s the teacher’s first job. The language of the ne bill, SF0768, stipulates teachers remain on probationary status through the first three years of consecutive teaching under any circumstance. For principals, probationary status would be two years.