MREA released a map today showing the impact of the proposed one-time financial relief for E-12 public schools to help address the enrollment loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HF 1064 includes $26 million in one-time funding for the loss of enrollment dollars that school districts have been experiencing this year. The bill creates “enhanced declining enrollment aid” that would increase from 28 percent to 48.5 percent — the percent of the basic formula associated with a district’s pupil loss, for the 2020-21 school year.
HF 1064 mirrors the Gov. Tim Walz’s plan to address this issue. Learn more.
What’s the Impact?
The map shows that of the 332 school districts, 96 districts would not qualify for declining enrollment aid, as shown in the lightest yellow in the map to the right:
- About 30 percent of school districts either broke even or increased their pupil count this year.
- Close to 70% of the schools lost pupils. Some districts lost a significant amount of pupil units.
- The median increase in aid is $38/pupil, with the highest increase coming in Hendricks and Menahga of $441/pupil and $307/pupil, respectively. These two districts saw some of the largest percentage student loss in the state.
What’s Next?
MREA has been advocating to help districts with their loss of revenue for the lost pupil count this session. The dollars in declining pupil aid in HF1064 bill are helpful to districts that have lost students.
There are other bills that look at holding harmless your pupil count from last year to this year, but this is the proposal that is advancing in the Minnesota House. The Senate has not advanced this legislation at this time.
