But at least we'll be Comfortable Rocks....
While it's true that the Hopkins School District does seem to have a misguided sense of reality, it's important to remember a couple things...
1.) Where we stand and why we're here...
Hopkins, because of the success of the last referendum, has reached the state mandated maximum of how much it can spend on educating students, paying teachers, and funding classes. As a result it?s actually illegal for Hopkins to spend any more on education. In previous years, Hopkins was able to maintain its curriculum because of a community so devoted to supporting its schools, that other cash strapped school districts would probably kill for it. Case in Point: Hopkins voters have passed every referendum that the school district has asked for dramatically buffering the effect of budget cuts, while nearby districts like Osseo have been forced to drastic cuts to curriculum. Due to inflation, a shrinking tax base to draw from, and other sources, simply maintaining the level of education opportunity possible in recent years has become impossible.
2.) Why are we spending it the way we are...
State regulations divide each districts funding into two "pots," with a maximum limit set on both intended to equalize education opportunities. On the left you have education and on the right you have "bricks and mortar" (building maintenance). Because of state law, Hopkins is quickly running out of money in the education pot that the last referendum provided, while at the same time, the "bricks and mortar" pot is closer to full than ever. The reason that more isn't spent on education is because state law explicitly forbids the transferring of funds between the two pots. The results are the frivolous building projects that the school plans to undertake in the coming months/years. The only exception to this is the cafeteria. The current cafeteria is in violation of state regulations that dictate that for every student there must be X amount of space. Because the High School Student body continues to grow so rapidly, the cafeteria has to be remodeled or rebuilt regardless of whether the school wants to or not. The football field, the new auditorium, and the seemingly endless amounts of new computers to name a few are indeed examples of unnecessary spending. With regards to the AP tests, those we're supplemented solely by the state, not the district and were an early target of a state government eager to cut costs.
3.) Where are the priorities?
Schools have been forced to change their priorities from constantly improving the quality of their education to simply maintaining as much of their curriculum as possible. In Hopkins, the continued extent of Bricks and Mortar spending has been shifted to the forefront now that the district has no where to turn to keep educational programs; but seems to have more money than it knows what to do with to spend on building maintenance and/or improvement. Hopkins has reached the end of one of the longest leashes in the state of Minnesota and is beginning to feel the effects that other districts have been forced to deal with for years. Hopkins students have had it pretty good as far as education goes and despite the budget cuts will continue to enjoy a substantial advantage in opportunity compared to other schools. The bottom line, Hopkins is going to have to learn to learn with less money.
1.) Where we stand and why we're here...
Hopkins, because of the success of the last referendum, has reached the state mandated maximum of how much it can spend on educating students, paying teachers, and funding classes. As a result it?s actually illegal for Hopkins to spend any more on education. In previous years, Hopkins was able to maintain its curriculum because of a community so devoted to supporting its schools, that other cash strapped school districts would probably kill for it. Case in Point: Hopkins voters have passed every referendum that the school district has asked for dramatically buffering the effect of budget cuts, while nearby districts like Osseo have been forced to drastic cuts to curriculum. Due to inflation, a shrinking tax base to draw from, and other sources, simply maintaining the level of education opportunity possible in recent years has become impossible.
2.) Why are we spending it the way we are...
State regulations divide each districts funding into two "pots," with a maximum limit set on both intended to equalize education opportunities. On the left you have education and on the right you have "bricks and mortar" (building maintenance). Because of state law, Hopkins is quickly running out of money in the education pot that the last referendum provided, while at the same time, the "bricks and mortar" pot is closer to full than ever. The reason that more isn't spent on education is because state law explicitly forbids the transferring of funds between the two pots. The results are the frivolous building projects that the school plans to undertake in the coming months/years. The only exception to this is the cafeteria. The current cafeteria is in violation of state regulations that dictate that for every student there must be X amount of space. Because the High School Student body continues to grow so rapidly, the cafeteria has to be remodeled or rebuilt regardless of whether the school wants to or not. The football field, the new auditorium, and the seemingly endless amounts of new computers to name a few are indeed examples of unnecessary spending. With regards to the AP tests, those we're supplemented solely by the state, not the district and were an early target of a state government eager to cut costs.
3.) Where are the priorities?
Schools have been forced to change their priorities from constantly improving the quality of their education to simply maintaining as much of their curriculum as possible. In Hopkins, the continued extent of Bricks and Mortar spending has been shifted to the forefront now that the district has no where to turn to keep educational programs; but seems to have more money than it knows what to do with to spend on building maintenance and/or improvement. Hopkins has reached the end of one of the longest leashes in the state of Minnesota and is beginning to feel the effects that other districts have been forced to deal with for years. Hopkins students have had it pretty good as far as education goes and despite the budget cuts will continue to enjoy a substantial advantage in opportunity compared to other schools. The bottom line, Hopkins is going to have to learn to learn with less money.