SC Times Op Ed: K-12 funding formula

We all know that the K-12 funding formula's are absolutely broken. The impact is greater in Greater Minnesota, where are schools are struggling financially. Multiple school districts have failed operating levies multiple times across Senate District 18.

Campaign promises were made. Changing the formula was a priority of mine.

It was a priority of Dean Urdahl.

It was a priority of Steve Dille (has been since 1990, as stated in the Enterprise Dispatch in a September 1990 candidate questionnaire).

Nothing has happened and the SC Times could not be any more correct in their Op Ed today.

Before area legislators cast their votes for whichever of these three plans they support, we ask each of them to explain why they believe it's smarter to spend so much of your money on a broken formula rather than fix it.

Remember, this was a formula that came of age in the 1970s. Isn't it time the state create a new formula based on what it actually costs to educate students to today's standards — standards many of these legislators approved just a few sessions ago?

I don't want to hear the diatribe about being in the minority party now either.

First off, when some of our locally elected leaders were in the majority, the funding model did not change at all.

Secondly, all of the candidates in SD 18 spoke of our collective abilities to move across party lines to get things like this done.

It comes down to accountability, doing what you say you are going to do. I think of this as some leadership issues we had in the army, basically "lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way."

No one is leading on this issue right now.

No one is following.

They are all just mucking it up, keeping any real progress from occurring.

Time will tell...but we won't forget.