| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| April 2, 2001 | Jessie Roos (651-296-9719) |
ST. PAUL -- State Representative Phil Krinkie (R-Shoreview) recently co-authored legislation to create a more equitable education funding system in Minnesota. The legislation aims to reform the state's special funding mechanism, "compensatory revenue," that local school districts receive from the state.
"In the Twin Cities area, it is not uncommon that districts receive a difference of funding between $1,000 to $2,000 per student," said Krinkie. "Our districts are on the losing end of the funding formula that has continued this funding disparity for years."
Compensatory revenue is provided to specific school sites based on the number of students at the school eligible for free and reduced price meals. The formula is often referred to as a concentration formula because as the number of students eligible for free or reduced price meals increases, the compensatory revenue per pupil also increases. House File 1614 would reform the "compensatory revenue" that districts receive by eliminating the concentration factor used to calculate aid for schools.
Krinkie explained, "Because many of our schools do not have a large concentration of students eligible for free and reduced price meals, we do not receive the same amount of funding per student as other districts. This legislation would solve that problem."
"A student in the Mounds View school district deserves a comparable level of funding for their education as a student in any other school district," said Krinkie.
The legislation has been referred to the House K-12 Education Finance Committee and will be considered for inclusion in the Omnibus K-12 Education Funding bill.
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