The 2023 legislative session is in the “fourth quarter” as we approach the end of the session in a few weeks. The House and Senate Education Finance Committees released their omnibus education bills the week of March 27. While we were disappointed that the promise to “fully fund” education was not included in the bills, we were pleased to see an increase in funding. 

We are still sifting through the details of these bills but see Highlights of the House and Senate Education Finance Omnibus Bills for a summary of the bill provisions, links to the bills, district runs, and most importantly, how the provisions in the bills would impact STMA. In short for FY2024, the Senate Education Omnibus Bill would yield $3,866,270 while the House Education Omnibus Bill would yield $3,934,024. 

So what does this mean? To return class sizes to reasonable levels we would need 39 teachers. In keeping the fund balance above the minimum of 12% set in School Board Policy 714 and factoring in the approximate $1.7 million deficit in FY2024, the House Education Omnibus Bill would allow us to add four teachers while the Senate Education Omnibus Bill would allow us to add 15 teachers. Obviously, we are grateful for the additional dollars but these would not allow us to have reasonable class sizes. 

Local legislators Senator Lucero and Representative Hudson authored bills, SF505 (Lucero) and HF1118 (Hudson), to fund districts such as STMA with low general education revenue and low property health. These bills are not included in either omnibus bill. It is a long shot but we need to strongly advocate to have these bills included in this year’s omnibus bills. 

CALL TO ACTION

What can you do THIS WEEK?

1. Email members of the Senate Education Finance Committee to unapologetically ask them to accept an amendment on the floor to include SF505 (Lucero) in their omnibus bill. Feel free to draft your own email or use Email A below.

2. Email members of the House Education Finance Committee to unapologetically ask them to accept an amendment on the floor to include HF1118 (Hudson) in their omnibus bill. Feel free to draft your own email or use Email B below.

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EMAIL A: Senate Call to Action -- Senate Education Finance Committee Email List

Dear Senate Education Finance Committee,

Thank you for your support of students in the St. Michael-Albertville Public School District as well as students across Minnesota.

Over the past couple of budget cycles, my district has experienced significant budget shortfalls. Our shortfalls are not the result of poor budget planning or even the pandemic. Our budget challenges are due to state funding not keeping pace with inflation and our students not qualifying for much categorical aid, factors largely outside of our control. 

Recently, my district cut $7.3 million dollars and 77 staff members. Our class sizes are very high with classes approaching 30 in kindergarten and grade one, 42 in grade five, and the low 40s in core classes at our high school. We have also expanded our walk zone, which means we have five and six-year olds walking a mile to and from school, drastically reduced our high potential programming, doubled our high school activity fees, and more. This has taken a toll on our staff as we have seen many high-quality staff members leave due to having to do more with much less. 

The Senate Education Omnibus Bill (SF2684) would yield an additional $3,866,270 for our district. However, factoring in the approximate $1.7 million deficit we have for next year and meeting our district’s fund balance policy, the House Education Omnibus Bill would allow us to add just fifteen (15) teachers. To return class sizes to reasonable levels we need 39 teachers. While we are grateful for the additional dollars, they are simply not enough. 

Please accept an amendment on the floor to include SF505 (Lucero) in the Senate Education Omnibus Bill (SF2684). Our students and staff deserve to have reasonable class sizes. They need your help, not next year or in the future, they need help now.

Thank you for your time and for advocating for all students.

Respectfully,

Your Name

St. Michael-Albertville Public School District

Postal Address (include so they know you are a constituent), email address, & possibly phone number

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EMAIL B: House Call to Action -- House Education Finance Committee Email List

Dear House Education Finance Committee,

Thank you for your support of students in the St. Michael-Albertville Public School District as well as students across Minnesota.

Over the past couple of budget cycles, my district has experienced significant budget shortfalls. Our shortfalls are not the result of poor budget planning or even the pandemic. Our budget challenges are due to state funding not keeping pace with inflation and our students not qualifying for much categorical aid, factors largely outside of our control. 

Recently, my district cut $7.3 million dollars and 77 staff members. Our class sizes are very high with classes approaching 30 in kindergarten and grade one, 42 in grade five, and the low 40s in core classes at our high school. We have also expanded our walk zone, which means we have five and six-year olds walking a mile to and from school, drastically reduced our high potential programming, doubled our high school activity fees, and more. This has taken a toll on our staff as we have seen many high-quality staff members leave due to having to do more with much less. 

The House Education Omnibus Bill (HF2497) would yield an additional $3,934,024 for our district. However, factoring in the approximate $1.7 million deficit we have for next year and meeting our district’s fund balance policy, the House Education Omnibus Bill would allow us to add just four (4) teachers. To return class sizes to reasonable levels we need 39 teachers. While we are grateful for the additional dollars, they are simply not enough. 

Please accept an amendment on the floor to include HF1118 (Hudson) in the House Education Omnibus Bill (HF2497). Our students and staff deserve to have reasonable class sizes. They need your help, not next year or in the future, they need help now.

Thank you for your time and for advocating for all students.

Respectfully,

Your Name

St. Michael-Albertville Public School District

Postal Address (include so they know you are a constituent), email address, & possibly phone number

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Per-pupil formula increase tied to inflation
(HF439 (Norris)/SF448 (Gustafson)
Increases per-pupil formula by 5% per year and links future formula increases to inflation.

Fully fund special education cross subsidy
HF18 (Wolgamott)/SF28 (Westlin)
Provides state funding for the full amount of school districts’ adjusted net cross subsidy beginning in
FY24.

Increase Local Optional Revenue
HF879 (Youakim)/SF866 (Westlin)
Increases the total revenue amount from $724 per pupil to $840 per pupil for FY25, links local optional revenue to the growth in the formula allowance for subsequent years and equalizes the total revenue at $880,000 per pupil.

Debt service equalization aid
HF1396 (Hemmingsen-Jaeger)/SF2552 (Kupec)
Combines the debt service revenue program into just two tiers: requiring a local levy of up to ten percent of ANTC for the first tier; and equalizing all amounts above that at the state average tax base per pupil for the second tier (estimated at $12,739 for fiscal year 2025). Increases state aid and lower property taxes by about $41 million per year.

Excess levy equalization aid
HF1271 (Youakim)/SF1601 (Hoffman)
Increases the first tier equalizing factor from $567,000 to 150 percent of the statewide referendum market value per pupil unit ($1,262,240 for fiscal year 2025). This change is estimated to increase state aid and correspondingly reduce the local property tax levy for referendum revenue by roughly $90 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2025

Fully fund English Learner programs
HF22 (Her)/SF21 (Oumou Verbetten)
Increases the basic EL allowance from $704 to $1,000 per EL student. Phase-in funding over four years.

Safe schools funding
HF1360 (Clardy)/SF1884 (Oumou Verbetten)
Increases safe schools funding by $108, includes all cooperative school districts and increases that funding by $44, sets a minimum funding guarantee of $100,000 and adds cybersecurity activities to the list of eligible uses.

Read Act
HF629 (Edelson)/SF1273 (Maye Quade)
appropriates money for grants to school districts to move to science of reading instruction. Funding can be used for curriculum and staff development.

Teacher prep time increase
HF827 (Keeler)/SF680
Requires five additional minutes of preparation time per every 17 minutes of classroom instructional time and requires this to be provided in one or two uninterrupted blocks.

Omnibus Education Policy Bills
HF1269 (Pryor)/SF1311 (Cwodzinski)

Class size ratio tied to formula funding
HF2619 (Stephenson)/SF1881 (Kunesh)
Increases the general education basic formula allowance by 20 percent and ties formula to inflation. Requires a school district to negotiate class size with its teachers and establishes class size ratios for each grade (K-3, 17 to one; grades 4 to 9, 21 to one; grades 10 to 12, 23 to one)

PELRA modifications
HF1690 (Jordan)/SF1633 (Hauschild)
• Allows a temporary or seasonal school district or charter school employee to be counted as a “public employee,” for purposes of collective bargaining.
• Requires collective bargaining over e-learning days, class size, student testing, student to personnel ratios.
• Removes the number of personnel as a matter of inherent managerial policy that school districts are not required to meet and negotiate on.
• Allows community education and early childhood family education teachers to obtain tenure or continuing contract.
• Requires school districts to give unions more building access to employees.
• Requires school districts to provide unions personnel data.
• Changes teacher probationary periods from 120 days to 90.

Education Service Professional bill
HF1348 (Tabke)/SF1318 (Mann)
• Requires paraprofessionals who work with students with disabilities to be given 16 hours paid time or time during the day to review students’ IEPs and annual paid orientation or professional development.
• Requires health insurance benefits for school employees at specific cost sharing levels (100% premium for single with 50% out of pocket maximum, and 85% of a family premium with 50% of out of pocket expenses).
• Requires schools using e-learning days to pay school employees their full wages during the elearning period.
• Raises unlicensed staff wages to at least $25 per hour.

Paid Family and Medical Leave bill
HF2 (Richardson)/SF2 (Mann)
• Creates the Family and Medical Benefits Insurance Division within Department of Economic Development for administration of the program.
• Provides for prorated weekly benefit amounts for hourly workers or employees who use sick leave, paid time off, or other paid time off.
• Allows up to 12 weeks of benefits for an applicant’s own pregnancy or a serious health condition, and up to 12 weeks of benefits to care for a family member with a serious health condition, for safety leave, or for bonding.

Earned Safe and Sick Time
HF19 (Olson)/SF34 (Pappas)
• Requires employers to allow employees to earn, at a minimum, one hour of paid ESS time for every
30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year, unless an
• employer agrees to provide more.
• Accrual begins when a qualified employee begins employment and may be used as it is accrued.
• Employers must allow employees to carry over accrued but unused ESS time from year to year –
not to exceed a maximum of 80 hours unless the employer chooses to provide a more generous
policy.
• Significantly expands definition of “family member.”

The 2023 STMA Legislative Forum is scheduled for December 7 at 7:00 p.m. Check back soon for additional information.

The 2023 STMA Legislative Platform was approved at the 12-05-2022 Regular School Board meeting.