Posted 9/12/01 ëWhereís the beefí for suburban school districts Suburban school districts were losers in the last legislative session compared to out-state poor rural districts. While suburban school districts prepare to ask voters for increases in the property tax levies, at least 37 school districts who could never pass an excess levy will get an extra $415 per pupil more. The state also will make up the difference for what they could pass and $415 per pupil. What did suburban school districts get from a legislature which had a surplus and gave some of it in tax rebates? The right to levy more on property taxes and an average of about 2.6 percent increase in state aid for this year and next. Clearly, suburban legislators failed their school districts, in part because they were not united due to political party partisan differences. Rep. Alice Seagren, R-Bloomington, who chairs the K-12 Education Finance Committee, has said, "It was suburban representation that got left in the cold, and thereís going to be some hard feelings for awhile." Those hard feelings will be felt by suburban school districts who now must go to voters this fall to get some much needed help. Scott Croonquist, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, said the number of suburban school districts that will seek more money from voters will be unprecedented. Absent a united suburban front, the Legislatureís mindset is suburban residents, who pay the highest property taxes, can afford to pay more. One such district is Anoka-Hennepin thatís looking at cutting $10 million for the 2002-03 year , after already slicing $6 million. Anoka has received 1.9 percent more for this year and 1.7 percent additional for the second year. All districts that had levied $415 per pupil did get the green light to go for more. Governor Jesse Ventura, who did help suburban districts in the first session, was no help in the second session. A Jesse check and much-needed tax reform had higher priorities with the governor. Had it not been for the DFL party, suburban school districts might have gotten even less. What good does it do to have so many suburban legislators if they cannot get together on funding public education? One major problem is that suburban legislators lack the leadership and the clout to influence the top leadership in both parties. They also are not involved enough in conference committees where all the deals are made at the end of the sessions. The blame also lies on parents who are more interested in how their athletic teams are doing than in the funding of their childrenís education. If parents of suburban school districts ever organize and rise up, the schools would get the funding they deserve. Suburban areas are due to get as many as five more legislators when redistricting is passed. The numbers will be there, but in the words of one Minnesota statesman: ìWhereís the beef?î ñ Don Heinzman ©Post Review