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State funding for schools keeps going up and up every year. Governor Pawlenty has been generous to Minnesota schools.

Wrong. Since FY 2003, state aid to Minnesota school districts has fallen in real (inflation adjusted) dollars per pupil.

Since the state takeover of general education in FY 2003 to the current fiscal year (FY 2005), state aid to Minnesota school districts has fallen by approximately 5.3% in real dollars per pupil. (Source: Minnesota Department of Finance, “Price of Government” report, adjusted for inflation using the implicit price deflator for state and local government purchases.)

At the same time that per pupil revenues have fallen, school costs have increased due to increases in the number of special education and “limited English proficiency” students, and to additional federal mandates.

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