Short of significant state school funding repairs, future students in the School District of River Falls will not have the same educational experience as those of today. Each year the educational …
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Short of significant state school funding repairs, future students in the School District of River Falls will not have the same educational experience as those of today. Each year the educational needs of our students are greater than ever before, requiring additional instructional support and resources. Yet, revenues will not meet expenses.
The antiquated 1993 school funding formula no longer works – and we respectfully ask our community to advocate with the legislature to improve the 2023-25 biennial school funding details as outlined below:
Increase per-pupil revenue: River Falls ranks 418 of 421 in the state for per-pupil revenue at $10,046/pupil vs. the state average of $11,700. We need to bring additional funding to the low revenue districts by adding funds to bring them up to the average.
Increase special education categorical aid: Special education expenses have skyrocketed, yet we only receive 30 cents’ reimbursement for every dollar spent. This year alone we must transfer $3.9 million from our general budget (Fund 10) to provide these much-needed services. As a result, funding is reduced for all other areas of our school system. The legislature needs to provide more special education reimbursable aid to districts.
Increase pupil services reimbursement: Provide greater reimbursement for counselors, psychologists, and social worker positions needed to provide mental health support to students.
Fix the “Cliff”: The legislature provided zero per-pupil funding in the 2021-23 state biennial budget, telling district’s to use one-time/non-recurring federal funds to cover ongoing inflationary structural expenses - a recipe for creating a financial cliff. Legislators need to fix this cliff by backfilling the lost base revenue gap from their 2021-23 budget decisions.
Attracting and retaining high quality teaching and support staff is more challenging than ever before; we have cut three positions for next year and reduced other budget areas. Lack of funding diminishes the quality of our student’s learning experiences and preparation for life beyond high school.
Please advocate for legislative support for our schools - and remind them of their $8 billion surplus.
