Abstract

During the 2005 legislative session, Minnesota public schools saw their first substantial funding increase in over 14 years. Are schools now flush with dollars? Why did this increase happen now?  What was it that policymakers responded to? Are there lessons to be learned? Our public schools have become a political issue on the state as well as the federal level so what does the future hold for our public schools?   Parents United believes a public conversation needs to take place, a conversation about what an adequate education involves and how to fund this essential element of a democracy. What would the completion of the Governor’s Education Finance Reform Task Force bring into this mix?  Might the completion of this study be the impetus for a conversation that might include: How public schools should be funded in the future; the state’s responsibility in that funding; the responsibility of the local taxpayer; the role of the individual vs. the common good.  Are we at a crossroads for public education?  Only by developing a better understanding of how our leadership is dealing with public education can citizens be involved at a substantive level.