School funding under pressure, District consider lawsuit
Gov. Mark Parkinson says he’ll announce the steps he’ll take to balance the state’s budget next week. And, he says, all options are on the table as he looks to a $253M gap in the current years budget. Although he did not outline specifics, he indicated that it would all come from cuts and not from raising taxes in mid-fiscal year.
School funding will undoubtedly take another hit as it comprises over 50% of the state budget. As educators across the state are scrambling to absorb the cuts, many districts are finding the money to mount another lawsuit to force the state to provide enough funding for what the courts say is required for a quality education. The previous lawsuit resulted in almost a billion dollars more for education. However, some of the increases have been withheld as the recession has hit state revenues.
The Schools for Fair Funding (SFFF) coalition currently has 57 member districts after having recruited over 44 this year alone. Districts currently pay $2 per student to participate in the organization. However, if a lawsuit is filed the cost may increase up to $5 per student.
Governor Parkinson has said that the threat of a lawsuit over education funding won’t influence the spending cuts he’ll make to keep the current state budget in balance. As a lame duck Governor who has committed to not running in 2010, he does not have a reelection campaign to be concerned with.
