WINONA, Minn. -- Take a good look at the state Constitution. The Legislature has two jobs -- fund schools and fund the state trunk highways. That's it.
No pet projects, no debating abortion, just two jobs. And recently, it hasn't done those very successfully.
We'll save the roads conversation for another day. If you want more information, we'd suggest a drive north on U.S. Highway 61 to St. Paul -- you'll get the idea. Or see what happens when you take a hammer to the Interstate Bridge here in Winona.
This week, we learned the state was going to withhold part of its payment to schools. Keep in mind this is money that the state government already promised -- budgets have been finished. Keep in mind that the Legislature also controls how many days schools must operate. It's not like a cutback in funding can mean schools just close.
That's probably a good thing, though. We're not going to push our children ahead in the world economy with fewer classroom hours. And we're not going to achieve high-quality results by withholding money schools were counting on.
ADVERTISEMENT
This latest withholding comes on top of public-school funding that already has been slashed and shifted. In addition to the cuts the districts have gotten as the economy has worsened, in addition to property values heading south, the state for years has only given schools a certain percentage of the money it has pledged and delayed payment for a year or so.
It's called a "funding shift," and it's one of the more pernicious budgeting tricks the state uses to balance its budget. But it does so on the backs of schoolchildren.
The state makes the rules. If any business decided to "withhold" payments to employees or "withhold" taxes, the Minnesota Department of Revenue would react quickly and forcefully.
Yet, Minnesota's school cutbacks -- and it is a cutback when schools have the unanticipated expense of borrowing money -- are legal because they go unchallenged. Never mind that our state lawmakers have only two constitutionally mandated tasks -- roads and schools.
The state will claim every segment of government should feel pain during these tough times. Yet, it's not government that suffers. Government is a nebulous term. The people who suffer are our students and our community, which are made worse by having poorer schools.
In the short term, there's little that can be done. In the long term, this represents a very real loophole that needs to be closed in Minnesota law.
First, stop the funding shifts that let the state delay payments to school districts. Pay for schools as we go.
Second, make it illegal to cut school funding on such short notice. School districts have no other choice but to borrow money to meet contractual commitments.
ADVERTISEMENT
It's not just that lawmakers have failed to live up to their duties. We've also failed to provide for our children.
