Not cut, but burdened

Politics in Minnesota has a nice summary of how Governor Tim Pawlenty's cost shifts will affect public schools:

If, as expected, Pawlenty seeks to duplicate the size of the nearly $1.8 billion shift proposed by the House this session, he’ll have to delay payment of at least 27 percent, and perhaps as much as 36 percent, of the school aid money. The reason for the uncertainty and the gaping 9 percent disparity is because it is not clear whether the governor has the authority under to also shift property tax revenues that go to school districts, as the Legislature has done when utilizing the larger aid shifts in recent decades.

What will the delay mean for public education? Borrowing. And borrowing means interest payments. Charlie Kyte explains:

Kyte says the interest charges will amount to $30 per pupil per school year, which, in addition to all the staff time spent securing and monitoring the loans instead of educating children, is the equivalent of 500 first-year teacher salaries statewide each year.

So, while public education ostensibly escaped the chopping block as part of the state budget, it really didn't. More public education resources will have to be directed at paying interest, and not at educating kids, in the future.

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