Last Friday, Rep. Mindy Greiling, chair of the House K-12 Education Finance Committee and co-chair of the School Finance Reform Task Force, was guest speaker at the SEE General Membership Meeting.  Greiling talked about the HF4178 - Education Funding Reform Bill that is being called the "New Minnesota Miracle".  Greiling has been a steadfast champion of funding reform based on the work of PS Minnesota and this bill exists because of her perseverance.  

She distributed the bill and the spreadsheet showing what each district would receive if this bill ever were to become law. 

Greiling plans to move this funding reform during next year's funding session.  She acknowledges that it will take broad-base support from across the state to make this "New Minnesota Miracle" a reality.  Even if the bill gains bi-partisan support, she expects it will take 4-6 years to fully fund. 

The New Minnesota Miracle:

• Simplifies and increases state public school funding
• Is fair, balanced and needs based
• Reduces property taxes
• Lays a foundation for every student to succeed when they graduate from high school

Highlights of the New Minnesota Miracle:

• The proposal begins a phased increase to school funding of $1.7 billion beginning in 2010, while reducing property taxes by $600 million
• Increases the formula allowance from $5,175 to $7,500 per pupil and indexes it to inflation using the implicit price deflator
• Uses a scalable blueprint that can be phased in over several years
• Equalizes the pupil weighting system for students in kindergarten through high school to 1.0
• Enhances compensatory aid and funding for English language learners
• Fully funds voluntary all-day kindergarten
• Fully funds state special education costs by removing existing caps
• Provides flexibility for districts to fund early childhood programs
• Account for declining enrollment in every geographic region of the state
• Includes a levy referendum offset of $500 per pupil in districts with levies; provides $500 per pupil to districts without a levy in place
• Includes innovation and accountability measures including a requirement that a district use at least 1.5 percent of its basic revenue for innovation, research-based programs to improve academic performance
• Creates a new school bond agricultural credit equal to 20 percent of the property tax on agricultural properties attributable to school bond levies