Triton, like most districts, faces shortfall

In November, the state was projected to face a 5.1-billion-dollar deficit for FY 28-29. The new budget forecast was released on March 6th. The surplus for the next biennium has gone down. The new projected deficit for the second biennium has now increased to almost 6 million as shown in the picture below that was shared to us from the state.
In my article last month, I shared the number of mandates that were imposed on our school system that will cost the school district money that will necessitate our district to make cuts. When you need to make cuts, it requires staff reductions since over 80% of our budget goes to salaries and benefits for our employees. When you look at the historic fund balance that we had prior to the last budget cycle of nearly 18 billion dollars, you must ask, where did it go? The reports are that schools received historic funding, the state government had historic spending, but it did not result in historic revenue for schools.
I shared some of the ways this surplus was spent in relation to school funding in my last article. Much of it required additional expenditure for the school district because the mandates were either not funded at all, or only partially funded. Now, when I look at the looming deficit ahead, I wonder what will happen when all that money that was in a surplus has already been spent.
What frustrates me even more is that our property taxes are increasing, and our local taxpayers’ contributions to the school are increasing, which allows the state’s portion of their contributions to go down. Then, when the state fails to properly fund education, school districts can either cut or ask for additional operating revenue by going to the voters in our community to ask them to vote yes to raise their taxes. Even though I strongly believe in public education and the amazing things that we do for our students, I understand why people are frustrated when we ask them to vote yes for an increase in their taxes. The only positive thing is that when you vote yes, you know where the money is going.
When a neighboring superintendent sent out a survey recently to see how many districts were making cuts this next year, we had 21 districts that responded, and 19 of them were making budget reductions this next year in Southeast Minnesota. I think this is a simple data point that helps explain how schools have been impacted by the legislation that passed the last session. Here is a great link to a video that was recently shared with me to help explain my point. https://youtu.be/QI8SMmB0MHU
My hope is that as a school district; by explaining these things, it helps our community understand the difficult situation that is impacting our school district. We are required to follow the laws that are passed, and it seems our situation needs an explanation. I want our community to understand that making cuts is necessary to balance our budget. Making cuts is not easy and has an impact on our district. It is important to contact the people that were elected to represent you to share your thoughts. I do believe in the fact that advocating for our public schools makes a difference.
I believe in the young people that are in our school district and believe that they deserve a quality education.
The learning that takes place in our district is truly amazing, and we do a great job of preparing our students for their future. The evidence that I see when I sit in on the mock interviews for our seniors is amazing. I am so proud to be a part of their educational experience. I am excited to hear about the amazing careers that our Triton graduates are pursuing. We are doing a great job here at Triton, and I am thankful for the people that we employ to teach and guide our students. I am so proud of the hard work that our staff does here at Triton Public Schools. I am thankful that I have been able to spend my career in such a wonderful community.
Please reach out to me with any questions you may have regarding our school district. You can email me at schlich@triton.k12.mn.us or call me at 507-418-7530 to reach me at the district office. I would be happy to set up a time to meet with you or your organization. Communication is an important part of my job responsibility, and I welcome the opportunity to gain insight from your perspective.Go Cobras!