He attributes this future to factors such as increasing minority enrollment, poverty, income disparities, and an aging population, as well as uneven distribution of technology and changing labor markets. All of these factors are present in both Minnesota's urban and rural school districts, and they are putting a strain on school funding. But the future of public school financing need not be entirely bleak. Educators and policymakers can work together to create a stronger, better-supported public school system by encouraging collaboration, performance standards, and innovation.
Collaboration is crucial to the future of public school funding.
Minnesota has begun working on crucial educational partnerships among educators, between units of government, and between the educational and business communities. In Minnesota, where the division between urban and rural schools occasionally takes on epic proportions, more educators are speaking with one voice for all students, believing it will strengthen support for public schools and public school funding. These coalitions have recommended several changes, including moving to an educational system whose success is measured on student performance. This new system will hold students, staffs, and districts accountable for public funding by setting measurable standards for student performance, with results being shared with local residents annually. Those districts that can show that their education dollars have resulted in high student performance will build confidence in the public education system.