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Wednesday, April 2, 2008

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School funding plea taken to Capitol

Group of 70 takes buses to St. Paul in search of help

By JODIE TWEED

Staff Writer

ST. PAUL - If St. Paul lawmakers didn't notice the lifejackets Tuesday, they certainly heard the loud chants coming from the Capitol rotunda: "Save Our Schools, Save Our Schools."

About 70 people from both Brainerd and Crosby-Ironton descended upon the state Capitol Tuesday, sending a message to lawmakers that the state needs to find a better way to fund education. Most wore lifejackets as a symbol that their schools, located in the Brainerd lakes area known statewide for its recreational amenities, are drowning.

The group, headed by Brainerd parent Anne Holub, took two chartered buses Tuesday to St. Paul. They included mostly Brainerd parents, teachers and students but also about a dozen residents from Crosby-Ironton.

Cynthia Askerooth-Olson (left) and Nancy Palmer, both Brainerd first-grade teachers, joined about 70 Brainerd and Crosby-Ironton residents Tuesday as they rallied for fair and equitable education funding at the state Capitol rotunda. Brainerd Dispatch/Jodie Tweed
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

The group met with area legislators and education lobbyists in the DFL caucus room in the Capitol building Tuesday morning, including Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, chair of the House K-12 Finance Division.

Wearing "Save Our Schools" buttons and waving "SOS" signs, the group rallied in the rotunda Tuesday afternoon. Many spoke about how the failure of the November school referendum has affected their lives.

"Everything stinks right now," Forestview eighth-grader Katherine Wig said in the rotunda. "Sports are being cut, people are losing their passions, their hobbies. What will happen to the kids who look forward to that one special class and that one special teacher who understands them?"

"No child's education should be determined by their ZIP code or by the size of their parents' house," said Morgan Twombley, a junior at Brainerd High School.

Joe Anderson, a BHS sophomore, described how he had to comfort his mother when they learned the Brainerd School District referendum failed last November. She was upset at all the opportunities lost for him and his sister, he said. Anderson is active in both sports and music and said his family will now have to pay more than $1,000 a year if he and his sister continue in the activities they are involved with now.

Stephanie Jensen, a 10th-grader who attends the Brainerd Area Education Center, said the school district budget cuts will not only affect her but will affect her 3-month-old son, Skyler, when it's time for him to enter kindergarten. She said the AEC offers one-on-one teaching, which is helping her get through school. She said it was difficult for her to concentrate with larger class sizes, which will become an even bigger issue now for more students at BHS with the budget cuts.

Andy Johnson, a BHS freshman, said he's been waiting his entire life to be able to take the decoy carving class at BHS taught by his father, Bob Johnson. Now his father's art class has been cut for next year, due to budget cuts.

"It just breaks me. It crumbles me to pieces," said Johnson. "I've got the basics (in school) but my favorite stuff to do is art. It would have been perfect, just perfect, to be taught by my father."

Terry Sluss, a Baxter resident and teacher and former Crow Wing County Commissioner, blamed Gov. Tim Pawlenty for inadequate and inequitable funding for education.

"Governor, you started us down this spiral we're experiencing," said Sluss.

Kris Hasskamp, also a former legislator from Crosby, told the crowd they needed to take this issue straight to the governor, advising them to make sure they have a presence at the upcoming governor's fishing opener in Breezy Point. Many applauded and nodded their heads in agreement.

Jennie Pelowski, co-chair of Music Matters, which is attempting to raise $100,000 to restore music teaching positions at BHS, said it is a shame that children are forced to raise funds for their own education by carrying buckets in the community and asking for donations.

"This is not how schools should be funded," said Pelowski.

Rick Aulie, a 2003 C-I High School graduate, is a second-year kindergarten teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Brainerd. He, along with 62 other Brainerd teachers, will lose their jobs at the end of the year due to budget cuts.

"I want to be a teacher," said Aulie. "And I want to be a teacher in Brainerd. Without the help from our state I can't do that."

After returning to Brainerd, Holub said enthusiasm expressed by those who went was energizing. Holub said many said they want to continue to be involved and are willing to go back to St. Paul to testify at legislative committees or lobby state legislators.

"We planted a seed with the people who went down," Holub said with a smile. "We showed them the legislature is accessible. ... We might pay a visit to the governor when he's up for the fishing opener. We will see."

Holub said since this legislative session is winding down, no other bus trips to St. Paul will be planned. However, smaller groups of parents and community members may end up going to St. Paul.

Lakes Printing donated the "SOS" signs and gave the group the "SOS" buttons at cost. While all participants paid $10 to ride the chartered buses, Reichert Bus Service donated the remaining costs for the buses.

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.

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