The woes associated with the lack of action on the state budget and the fears created by the draconian GOP positions are not confined to MMSD.
This from the Prairie Farm School District:
The political wrangling has more immediate consequences, however. School districts don’t know how much state aid they will receive for their 2007-2008 budget cycles, and counties are uncertain how much in shared revenues they can count on from the state, either.
Statutes provide a guarantee that, while waiting for an official budget to be adopted, these institutions can expect to continue receiving the same compensation levels that they had enjoyed the year before. But some say that provision isn’t a cure-all.
Prairie Farm School District Superintendent Don Hauck said that his district has been affected by the bogged-down state budget. Despite a successful referendum last spring, some planned school projects, such as upgrading HVAC systems, have been placed on hold until more solid figures on 2008 state aid are available.
Hauck also noted that schools will still receive 2007 state aid levels while the 2008 budget is hammered out, but the status quo may be insufficient, since operating costs continue to rise. If more state aid for schools doesn’t materialize, then the difference might have to be made up through increased property taxes.
Thomas J. Mertz
AMPS 