Governor, commissioner return to Mankato to tout education funding

Jul. 23—MANKATO — The governor and education commissioner returned to Mankato to thank educators and students for enduring the pandemic and to trumpet the additional flexible funding going to schools as they recover.

But much of the funding comes after districts had already set their budgets for the school year. Mankato Area Public Schools and many other districts won't use most of the additional funds until the 2022-2023 school year.

Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Heather Mueller are visiting schools across the state and on Friday stopped at Kennedy Elementary School in Mankato.

The former Mankato educators visited summer preschool, special education and child care programs before holding a press conference touting the $58 million in federal funding distributed by the state for summer school programs and the $554 million in additional spending for schools over the coming two school years.

"We're very proud that we were able to create a budget that centered on children post COVID," Walz said. "It's been a couple of decades since we've seen this type of investment in education."

Walz said the state budget included the largest per-pupil funding formula increase in 15 years. The main source of funding for districts increased by 2.5% for 2021-2022 and by 2% for 2022-2023.

That is 0.5% more over the biennium than has been the norm in recent years. The state has given annual increases of 2% for the prior seven years.

"We are terribly grateful that the state of Minnesota has once again come through for public education," Mankato Supt. Paul Peterson said. "Gov. Walz and the Legislature have once again put down their marker that public schools matter in our state."

For Mankato Area Public Schools, Director of Business Services Tom Sager said each 1% increase equals roughly $650,000 in additional dollars.

Mankato district leaders were banking on a 1% increase when they set their budget for the school year that officially started July 1.

The state education budget also includes additional funding to continue free preschool programs, for initiatives to recruit and retain more teachers of color, and more dollars for special education to compensate for federal underfunding.

Districts were required to set their budgets in June not yet knowing how much state funding they'd receive because lawmakers did not finish their work until June 30.

Mankato's budget included $7.5 million in spending reductions, spurred primarily by a dip in enrollment and a forecast that only a fraction of the students lost to private schools and other alternatives during the pandemic will return.

Sager said district leaders "breathed a collective sigh of relief" when lawmakers approved the state funding increase. But it isn't enough to offset the enrollment loss, he said.

Because the district's budget had already been set, Sager said the additional dollars received in excess in what was anticipated will be used to help stabilize future budgets and build up the reserve fund that has dropped below its target level.

Mankato Area Public Schools also is receiving $430,000 in extra federal coronavirus relief funds to support expanded summer school programs for more students this summer and next. Participation as much as doubled in the district's summer programs, which have expanded hours, offered more enrichment opportunities and mental health support, and provided transportation.

Walz and Mueller emphasized the latest round of federal and state distributions give districts flexibility to decide how best to spend the dollars.

"We want to have equal access, but we know that every community looks different," Mueller said.

The governor and commissioner said they also are touring the state to thank educators, parents and students for their adaptability during the pandemic.

"I don't know how they did it some days but they did, and they created incredible learning opportunities," Walz said about the state's educators.

It was a second-grader who was the first to bring up the controversial topic of whether masks might be required in schools again in the fall.

"We'll do our best so you don't have to," Walz told the girl.

Later Walz told educators and reporters he no longer has emergency authority to do another mask mandate. The state will continue to recommend schools follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, he said, but there likely will be a "regionalized approach with local leaders having to make some decisions."