School funding decisions are made by the State Legislature on a biennial basis (every other year, odd years) for the upcoming biennium (the two years following the legislative session).
In funding years, the House and Senate leadership make a singularly important decision in late February or early March immediately following the release of the February forecast—they set the "targets" for each spending division.
After the release of the February Forecast:
- The House Ways and Means Committee must adopt a budget resolution within 25 days.
- The Senate Tax Committee and Finance Committee must adopt a budget resolution within 30 days (Minnesota Budget Project).
Each committee that deals with spending bills will be given a "budget target" by House and Senate leaders that they must stay within as they put together their final bills
There are two kinds of targets: spending and levy. Both are important for public education.
There's a narrow window of time between the release of the February forecast and when division targets are set when it's critical to let House and Senate Leadership know your budget priorities.
It is essential for legislators to hear from constituents at this crucial time.
Once the division targets have been assigned, the committees have until the third week of April to figure out how they're going work within them. On the day of the deadline (if not earlier), we'll know how good or bad the House and Senate education bills are.
Supplemental Budget
IF the February forecast is up or down from the November forecast, the Governor may submit "supplemental budget recommendations" which can add to or take away from his initial recommendations. Any supplemental budget recommendations would be taken into consideration by the leadership as they set the spending targets.
The state budget process:
According to Minnesota Management & Budget, in most years there are five releases of state budget data:
- November Economic Forecast
- Governors Budget Recommendations (January or February)
- February Economic Forecast
- Revised Governors Budget Recommendations (usually in March)
- End of Session Estimates (usually in May or June)
Additional Resources
August 2008 - Governor’s Budget Process Overview - Minnesota Department of Finance & Employee Relations.
- From July to November, state agencies work to develop potential budget initiatives based on agency goals and objectives, the Governor’s priorities and stakeholder discussions.
- From September to December, the Department of Finance works with state agencies to analyze and refine potential initiatives, provides analysis to the Governor and facilitates the decision-making process.
- In December and January, the Governor decides what budget initiatives will be recommended in his budget.
August 19, 2008 - FY 2010-11 Biennial Budget Preparation - Instructions to state agencies as they develop their budget proposals, Minnesota Department of Finance.
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