The total amount of funding designated for public education during the last legislative session was regarded as historic. It may have been historic based on the amount, BUT it was not allocated to school districts to use for their own specific needs. Substantial funding was provided for free breakfast and lunch for all students, unemployment costs for hourly workers, and additional funding for special education in the form of an increased subsidy from 44% to 50%. Special Education should be funded at 100% as it is a mandate. There was an increase in the formula of 4% in 2023 and 2% in 2024-2025. While those increases are appreciated, they are not enough to keep up with the inflationary issues that are impacting schools. The money that was allocated toward education was historic, unfortunately, it came with many mandates.
Those increases came when there was a historic fund balance of approximately 19 billion dollars. Now, we are waiting for the next projection to be released, which was dismal in November, and rumblings indicate that it will be worse in the next update that has been postponed until March. What does that mean for schools? Quite simply it means that school districts across the state will need to find ways to cut the district budget. With over 85% of our budget being salaries and benefits for employees, we will need to reduce staff to balance our budget
This financial strain is further compounded by the number of unfunded or underfunded mandates that are required of public schools. An unfunded mandate is any policy or requirement that is created by legislation without sufficient funding to cover the cost of implementation. One example of an unfunded mandate is summer unemployment for hour wage-earners who do not work year-round. For the first two years, the state allocated $135M toward unemployment payments for these staff, which was not enough to cover the projected expense until 2027 as the money has already been estimated to run out before this next summer is over. This will end up costing the Triton School District about $50,000 each year.
Public school employees contribute to the Teachers Retirement Association for all certified and licensed staff. The contribution rate is increasing from 8.75% to 9.5%, with no state aid to help pay for it. For Triton this cost will be about $45,000 each year.
Paid Family Medical Leave will be paid for through an employment tax of 0.7% on wages, with the costs allowed to be shared between the employers and employees. There is no state aid to support this increase for employers. For Triton School District, this increase will cost about $28,000 each year.
There are several new curriculum requirements for school districts to adopt and implement, including personal finance, Civics, Mental Health, Ethnic Studies, Holocaust and Genocide, and Cannabis Use and Substance Abuse. There is no state aid to support the costs of curriculum materials and teacher training. The cost of those could easily reach $50,000 or more.
The list goes on, when you look at the aid for special education it is only reimbursed at 50% of the actual cost. The Governor’s is proposing a reduction in transportation aid expenses from 95% to 90%. The cost of paying for substitutes will also continue to increase with the introduction of ESST and the upcoming PFML (paid family medical leave). When you start to look at the combined impact of all those mandates and increased expenses as a district, we have no other choice than to cut staff, and to ask the legislature for help. The cost of the mandates for our district adds up to about $300,000, which is not offset by the increases in funding that we received. Please help us by contacting your legislative representatives and let them know that it is time to stop unfunded mandates and cover the costs they are imposing. It is very difficult to create a budget when they keep adding expenses to our budget.
Please reach out to me with any questions you may have regarding our school district. You can email me at schlich@triton.k12.mn.us or call me at 507-418-7530 to reach me at the district office. I would be happy to set up a time to meet with you or your organization. Communication is an important part of my job responsibility, and I welcome the opportunity to gain insight from your perspective.
Go Cobras!
#WeAreTriton
