Beebe releases education plan
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Legislators struggled Tuesday to get their arms around Gov. Mike Beebe’s proposed $ 2. 68 billion Public School Fund budget as details were released for the first time.
“I think we’re all just still trying to understand it and walk through it,” said Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, who has been at the forefront of education funding the last several years.
Others, such as Rep. Bill Abernathy, D-Mena, questioned whether the governor’s proposal passes too much of the state’s financial responsibility to local property taxes.
The total foundation funding is about $ 2. 8 billion. This is the per-student funding that the Legislature has determined school districts need in order to provide an adequate and equitable education as required by the state Supreme Court. The state portion would cost $ 1. 83 billion.
Beebe is recommending a $ 53 million, or 2 percent, increase from 2009 to 2010 in state and local foundation funding.
But the state’s share of the foundation funding increase will be only about $ 3. 4 million, or 0. 18 percent, according to numbers presented to the Legislative Council by Lori Bowen, an analyst for the Bureau of Legislative Research.
Local property taxes would provide $ 39. 6 million, John Kunkel, associate director of finance for the Department of Education told legislators during a budget hearing.
That would leave about $ 14 million to finish funding the increase, but the state will contribute less than that, Bowen said.
That’s because Beebe proposes using money in the current budget — “enhanced” school funding approved during the 2007 session — to help pay the new foundation requirement, she said.
Overall, public schools will receive in 2010 foundation and “enhanced” funding of $ 5, 940 per pupil, an increase of $ 64, Kunkel said. This is about a 1. 1 percent increase.
Tom Kimbrell, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, said his organization will continue to lobby for more dollars, but he understands that the economy is facing difficulties.
“It’s going to be a tough couple of years for schools,” Kimbrell said. “The last several years we’ve been pretty fortunate.”
How far that $ 64 goes will depend on the size of the school district, he said.
“It’s an economy of scale,” Kimbrell said. “Schools with a lot of students, that’s a lot of money. To small districts, it doesn’t seem like that much.”
Abernathy questioned relying on the 25 mills of property tax that are dedicated to the foundation amount.
“As we reduce other funds that we’re giving to education, it’s concerning,” Abernathy said. “The state education budget is getting less of a percent increase than other [agencies ]. I hope we’re not going down the road of reducing education spending since we’re making progress academically. [More money for ] teacher insurance was left out and transportation was left out. I’m not saying we’re not meeting adequacy, but there was an agreement that health insurance and transportation was important.”
Other big items in Beebe’s proposal for state funding are: $ 158. 6 million for school districts to help educate low-income students.
$ 69. 8 million for desegregation payments to the Pulaski County districts as required by a 1989 court settlement. Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, described that money as “going down a rathole” and said the money would be better used elsewhere. $ 25. 4 million to help offset local property-tax dollars that for whatever reason aren’t collected by the county treasurers. This is about double what was estimated in 2007 to be necessary to make up for those local dollars.
Also, Beebe is recommending that a foundation created to provide incentives to teachers to work in districts that have a hard time recruiting teachers be put under the Department of Education.
Education Commissioner Ken James said only about $ 24, 000 in incentives were given last year. He said more regulation is needed to better promote the program to teachers.
Some legislators questioned the state school facilities program. About $ 450 million was approved in 2007 to help districts build or refurbish academic school buildings, but Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, said she was bothered because less than $ 200 million of that has been spent so far.
Rep. Eddie Hawkins, D-Vilonia, said the state Academic Facilities and Transportation Division hasn’t responded well to concerns of district officials.
Doug Eaton, division director, said there are deadlines established by law that the division must follow.
Broadway, who took the lead on creating the state’s facilities program in the 2005 and 2007 sessions, said the program “isn’t the best thing since sliced bread” and he’d be willing to listen to suggestions on how to improve it. He pointed out that the program was established with input from district officials.
As to Madison’s concerns, Broadway said it takes time to design and build buildings and some of the facilities money won’t be spent until 2011.
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