State budget help too late to head off some school cuts
Legislature raised per-pupil spending, but districts were hurt by enrollment drops.
July 10, 2021 — 5:05pm
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Minnesota school districts are welcoming the Legislature's boost in school spending but are still sorting out how much it will help to stave off budget cuts for the coming school year.
The two-year state education budget includes $554 million in new spending, with money earmarked for budget gaps in special education, English-language services, programs aimed at diversifying the teaching ranks and, most notably, an increase to the amount of money that flows from the state to school districts for each student enrolled. The per-pupil funding formula will go up by 2.45% next year and 2% for the following school year, the largest increase in a decade and a half.