Published March 25, 2007 in the Hibbing Daily Tribune
Meanwhile, to the north, teachers in fast-growing exurban districts are finding that if population growth doesn’t match enrollment projects, they too could be facing layoffs. This is yet another discouraging factor for new teachers considering where to begin their career and invest their efforts, all in an area where there are more and more students every day.
Still farther north, in our area, Greenway schools in Bovey and Coleraine consistently perform well on statewide elementary performance tests, but the entire district is in operating debt and faces peril. And we all know that Iron Range schools in general persist under the enormous cloud of declining enrollment, making teaching one of the most difficult careers to land a steady job for young professionals in the region.
What do all these places and all these issues have to do with each other? Well, these situations show the increasingly strained working conditions of K-12 teachers, regardless of where they work. These situations show that the dollars and cents of public education in Minnesota receive more attention than public education itself. In this, we are far behind in the quest to educate our children for the highly competitive global economy of the future.
Schools in Minnesota are good, probably better than schools in most other states. But schools in Minnesota – on average – aren’t cutting it on the international front or in preparing students for higher education. MNSCU colleges are finding that even some of our best performing K-12 students are deficient in one or more major skill area, usually math or English. Minnesota has one of the worst high school counselor to student ratios in the country, which might have something to do with the lack of preparedness on the part of our students when they go on to post secondary or technical education.
All of this has to do with the per pupil state funding structure being debated in St. Paul right now. Over the past decade we’ve moved away from state funding of education to local property taxes. This has benefited the rich, especially in areas with large commercial property wealth. At the same time some have been able to trumpet “no new taxes” when in fact the enormous cost of public education has simply been shifted to property taxes, which are more regressive (read: likely to affect middle and lower class property owners) than the income tax. It’s also created the perception that the quality of public education depends on where you live. That shouldn’t be the case. Different regions of Minnesota have different educational problems, but all face the same challenge: prepare our children to preserve America’s creative and economic edge in the world.
Like Minneapolis and the suburbs, we in northern Minnesota face many challenges in our school districts – some local, some common across the state. Minnesota needs an educational system that hires and supports creative teachers who in turn encourage creative students, regardless of socioeconomic background or geographic location. Such a system will cost money, more than most would prefer to spend; however, evidence suggests that the cost will be worth it. A state report released this week shows that Minnesota’s tax system favors the rich and many studies have shown that investment in education, especially early on, pays back in economic benefit.
To the legislature and governor: Pass a per pupil increase in state funding. Pay for it with a tax on the wealthiest Minnesotans, who benefit disproportionately under our current tax structure. No more gimmicks. No more balancing on the backs of property owners. This will benefit students in every corner of this diverse state.Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune.