Special Session on Education : Day 7
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Two days into the second week of a special session to reform public schools, superintendents are worried.
Listening in on a house education committee meeting, Rodney Whitfield heard debate on duty-free lunches for teachers and limited state funding for athletics. But thats not what he took time away from his district in Bismarck to find out about. "Its frustrating," says Whitfield, "Theres no funding formula at this time. Thats the key thing they should be working on, not bringing up these little bills." Whitfields also concerned about the fiscal impact of the "little bills" getting endorsed in committee. Without a funding plan attached to them he says they equate to unfunded mandates, something the state supreme courts said is a no-no. Lawmakers have yet to officially discuss the funding formulas on the table.
