It’s not enough to spare K-12 schools from cuts. State leaders must increase school funding by at least inflation, Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher said Friday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget plan, released Friday, proposes no direct cuts to public schools, but it continues the erosion of state funding by ignoring the reality of inflation. The governor and lawmakers didn’t do their job last year, and the lack of inflationary funding has increased the inequities across the state. Districts have been forced to turn to local voters to fund basic school costs.

“The quality of our children’s education should not depend on their ZIP code,” Dooher said. “Every child in Minnesota deserves the chance to succeed in this competitive global economy.”

An inflationary increase is needed to ensure a highly qualified teacher for each classroom, up-to-date instructional materials and small class sizes that make it possible to teach and learn successfully.

“We can’t think only about today’s deficit and today’s economy. We also have to think about the economy of the future, which is fueled by public schools.  The budget situation is clearly challenging, but we can’t allow it to paralyze Minnesota’s progress,” Dooher said.

Additionally, the governor is proposing a 3.85 percent cut to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ general fund. Cuts to higher education are unacceptable. College is already too expensive for Minnesota families, Dooher said.

The Minnesota Department of Finance has predicted the deficit would reach $1.086 billion by the end of the 2010-11 biennium – or more than $2 billion if inflation is added in.

Read the governor’s full proposal at http://www.finance.state.mn.us/.