State needs new revenue for education

By Dr. Ron L. Anderson

The Jackson School District has been informed it will lose $267,000 from this year's (the fiscal year ends June 30) state funding. This could be more like $300,000 depending on state revenue in the last quarter.

Current information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education indicates the district can expect a cut of nearly $1.5 million in state aid in the fiscal year that starts July 1 from what was supposed to be received this year. As stated in the Southeast Missourian, this is the most of any Southeast Missouri school. At a recent meeting, DESE states that its projection for next year's funding is probably low, because it does not have the final figures for next year.

According to our calculations, the reduction for the Jackson district will probably fall between $1.5 million and $2 million.

The problem is not that we need to cut state aid for needed programs and services. It is that there is not enough revenue generated by the state to provide the quality of services Missourians expect.

The Senate has proposed two budget plans.

Plan A calls for a reduction of $274.5 million to the school foundation formula for kindergarten-grade 12 schools. If you add in other cuts such as transportation, the total cut to DESE is about $337 million.

Plan B includes a revenue package that would generate about $200 million. Of that, $100 million would be used to reduce the cut to education. As a result, the cut to the foundation formula would be $174.5 million, with other cuts remaining the same. The total cut would be approximately $237 million.

At the spring meeting of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, a majority of the schools attending stated they were making huge cuts to offset the loss of state revenue. Most schools indicated they were forced into reducing staff to help make up for the loss in state funding.

The Jackson district will not be able to replace 12 to 14 positions -- and possibly more -- as they become open due to retirement and attrition. This will only make up part of the loss of funding.

Approximately 75 percent of the district budget is staff costs. The result of not replacing staff will be larger class sizes and increased workloads for teachers. It will also place quality programs in jeopardy.

The district also is reviewing all aspects of the budget. However, the district already has one of the lowest per-pupil expenditures in the state. In the end, it is the kids who will suffer because of larger class sizes, reduced services and worn-down facilities.

In summary, the legislature needs to be urged to support additional revenue to reduce the cuts to education. The legislative leadership must be willing to pursue additional sources of revenue.

If the state does not implement a long-term plan for acquiring additional revenue, future years will get even worse.

Dr. Ron L. Anderson is the superintendent of the Jackson School District.