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Wednesday, April 2, 2008

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Lawmakers get earful

By JODIE TWEED

Staff Writer

ST. PAUL - When a constituent shows up at a lawmaker's office in St. Paul to talk or simply sends an e-mail, it can send a powerful message.

So when about 70 people from Brainerd and Crosby-Ironton, outfitted in lifejackets, filled the DFL caucus room at the State Capitol to show their concern about the state funding of education, area lawmakers told them to consider their message delivered.

The group spoke to a number of legislators including Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker, Rep. Al Doty, DFL-Royalton, Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley and Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, who is the chair of the House K-12 Finance Division. They also met with Brad Lundell, executive director of Schools for Equity in Education, Deb Griffiths, also of SEE, and Mary Cecconi, state director of Parents United for Public Schools, who gave them practical advice for lobbying state legislators.

Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, joined Jeff Wig (left); Katherine Wig and Arabella Jones, both Forestview eighth-graders; and Rebecca Wig, a Forestview fifth-grader, at Brainerd Day at the Capitol Tuesday in the state Capitol rotunda. Brainerd Dispatch/Jodie Tweed
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

Area lawmakers expressed support of educational funding reform and gave updates on various bills that have been introduced in both the House and Senate.

"We're going to need a huge overhaul," said Doty. "We get that. We need to get a few more people to get that."

"We're trying, you guys, we're trying," Ward said. "We've got to invest in education. So our kids and grandkids have the same opportunities we had. ... We're all working to try to find another (Minnesota) miracle. Continue to believe and work."

"Education is not a Democrat or Republican issue," said Koering. "It's about our future. It behooves us to take care of our future leaders. To me, it's a broken system."

While lawmakers discussed the need to find a long-term solution, Jennie Pelowski, co-chair of Music Matters, told lawmakers a short-term solution also was needed now.

"The problem is the Band-Aids have been taken off and we're hemorrhaging," said Pelowski. "What's going to happen in the interim while we're bleeding to death?"

Ward discussed the proposed supplemental educational funding bill that would provide a 1 percent increase for 2009 in the House educational budget. The funding package, which Ward said is now in the tax omnibus bill in the Senate, would provide a $51 per pupil increase for each school district. The proposal would give an extra $432,978 for the Brainerd School District and $71,561 for the Crosby-Ironton School District in 2009.

Lawmakers also discussed the tax exemption that allows seasonal recreational properties like lake cabins to be exempt from paying school operating levies. A bill introduced by Ward is in the House Property Tax Relief Committee for possible inclusion in the property tax relief bill to repeal this exemption, Ward said.

Former area lawmaker Kris Hasskamp of Crosby offered her assistance in pulling legislators like Howes off the House floor to speak with the group. As a former lawmaker she is allowed on the House floor. She said if the C-I community could send seven busloads of basketball fans to the state tournament last weekend to watch the boys' basketball team play, she wished seven busloads of C-I residents were at the Capitol Tuesday, too.

Regardless, the large group appeared to get its message across to lawmakers.

"I'm just blown away with all the people," Greiling told the group. "Are these just Brainerd people?"

Crosby, too, several people responded.

Steve Crum, a Deerwood parent, said he traveled to St. Paul Tuesday because he wanted to discuss the shortage of education funding with lawmakers and hopefully provide them with insight on what he believes are important issues.

Joan Hallada, a Crosby resident who has so far raised nearly $8,000 for fine arts programs at C-I schools, said she is committed to helping raise money for C-I students. Her interest in the school district is what compelled her to make the St. Paul trip.

Mary Cecconi of Parents United offered this advice to the group: Whatever they do, fight for equitable funding for all students in the state and don't allow lawmakers to make divisions between rural and metro school districts. She said it's cheaper for lawmakers to fix one district rather than addressing the same issues in all districts.

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

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