Under the surface of budget cuts

Budget cuts, increases in funding impact school spending

Abby Keller Modesty Manion

While still in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Park, like many other school districts in the state, is facing budget cuts.

Even as the state legislature moves to increase funding for schools, the Park School Board has to cut the budget for the upcoming school year to maintain its financial stability.

Director of business services for Park, Patricia Magnuson, said inflation is a major factor in fueling budget cuts.

“Most of our revenue is connected to the number of students,” Magnuson said. “Our enrollment numbers have been flat, but that doesn’t mean expenses are flat. The fact is, we haven’t added to the district’s footprint, but costs continue to rise at rates of 5% or more.”

Minnesota state representative Larry Kraft said Minnesota schools have gotten less funding over time and schools suffer the consequences.

“If you look at how much funding schools have gotten, looking back about 20 years, it hasn’t been changing with inflation,”

Kraft said. “It works out to a gap of around $1,000-per-student now, and because schools get funding based on the number of students, we’ve been really dis-investing in education.”

A bill was introduced to the Minnesota House of Representatives in early 2023 to increase the school funding formula by 5% next year, then tie future increases to inflation. Superintendent Astein Osei said the possibility of increased funding will affect the budget for the coming year.