Schools

Aid Shift for Schools is 'Delaying the Problem' for State

District 196's communications director said there are additional costs to borrowing money.

School administrators for District 196 will be meeting Friday to learn more about the state budget’s impact on local education.

“I would say it’s certainly going to have an impact on schools,” said Tony Taschner, communications director for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public school district.

The state government opened for business Thursday, a day after Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law budget bills that will affect everything from schools to health care in terms of state operations.

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Taschner said Thursday that a delay in school funding is “just further... delaying the problem.” The state budget includes a provision that will give school districts only 60 percent of their state aid during the year for which it's allotted, and will give them the other 40 percent once the year ends and final enrollment is tallied. The ratio previously was 70/30.

“There’s a cost to having to borrow more money,” Taschner said, and “that’s disappointing.”

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As for how that will impact certain programs or the schools’ bottom line, that’s what school leaders will learn Friday. Taschner said they will be going to a meeting at the Association of Metropolitan School Districts.

The District 196 school board will meet at 5:45 p.m. Monday at the district office in Rosemount; among topics they’ll talk about district goals and its financial future, according to a notice released Thursday.


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