(I hope you had a chance to read my four earlier writings that described other elements of the NRHEG Strategic Plan . If you did not and you find you have questions, you can go to the school web site, www.NRHEG.k12.mn.us, and see some of the information there. You do not need to have read the previous articles to understand what will be said here.)
I bet when most people hear the word “school” they picture a building. It might be anything from a one-room schoolhouse to a 50-building complex; it might be one they attended or graduated from; it might be the one where they drop off their children or grandchildren.
Of course it makes sense that the buildings are the first thing we think of, but in many ways a school is more like a river. First of all, like any body of water, it’s not an independent structure; it’s part of a system which, in this case, reaches all the way to Washington D.C.
The “river” of the NRHEG school system receives many inputs from this system, some of which are a tremendous boon. National and state sources account for more than 86% percent of school funds, with about 14% percent coming from local property taxes.
This financial support comes with many strings attached, usually in the forms of legislative “mandates,” or laws. This means school districts have no choice but to comply; often there are even penalties assigned for non-compliance.
All of us have had enough experience dealing with government bureaucracies to know that, sometimes, they have rules that don’t make much sense. Of course the laws are enacted with good intentions, but a one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t always logical for a state that occupies nearly 87,000 square miles of land. Take a moment to consider this example: According to a Minnesota Department of Transportation document, the default speed limit for unmarked rural roads is 55 miles per hour, regardless of the type of surfacing the road has. Now, I trust you agree with me that, while 55 is fine for most paved roads, it is probably not a reasonable speed for most gravel roads.
School districts encounter many similar inequalities. On-line sources, including the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League, tell me that there are about 350 school districts in the state, serving anywhere between a few students to more than 37,000. NRHEG, you might want to know, serves just shy of 975 kids, across 13 levels. With all this variation among districts, I hope you can see some of the problems one-size-fits-all legislation can cause, especially when it seems to be the largest districts which attract the most attention from lawmakers.
Every year, new mandates have come down the pike, often requiring our district to invest significant amounts of time and money. One big example took place a couple years ago when the legislature simply decided to hold onto some of the money slotted for school districts and “shift” paying it forward by two years. But even when you ignore standout examples like the “shift,” legislative action has a constant effect on our district. Recent laws dictate, for example, training our staff must receive, tests our students must take, and ways district money and resources can be managed.
Riding this rather unpredictable flow feels, at times, like rafting through rapids. Resources we had intended to allocate one way must suddenly be diverted; time slotted for one purpose must be used for another. These complications aren’t anything new, of course, but they are part of the overall culture which must be managed as we try to move forward with our planning.
The committee of stakeholders on the strategic planning team, when examining this element of the strategic plan, could only admit that we have limited control on this. The best preparation is to be sure our district is financially stable, and as prepared as possible to stay on an even keel despite sudden changes in the current. Part of this is making sure our buildings are in good repair and all elements of our finances are monitored—not only for the current year, but also going forward. This sort of vigilance has always been a priority here at NRHEG, and the school board and I will continue it.
One way you can help with this part of school operation is to stay informed about legislative proposals and be sure to touch base with your representative when a topic comes up that affects rural schools. When you hear about state-level discussions and want to know what they might mean to our district, feel free to contact me with your questions.
A step I’ve taken is to have our district join the Minnesota Rural Education Association, an organization which lobbies for the interests of schools in “outstate” Minnesota. My research has found the MREA to be a valuable advocate for districts like ours, and I feel we are already seeing some benefits. Recently I was asked by MREA to be on their Board of Directors. So with the interest of more directly supporting our district’s needs, I submitted my name for their consideration to better represent our district in regards to legislative initiatives which could impact NRHEG.
Thank you for staying with me through this discussion. I hope you have found it interesting, even though it’s a bit specialized. I also hope you will watch for more information about the district’s strategic plan and what it means for our students and our communities. As always, feel free to contact me with questions; my e-mail address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; mail can be sent to the district office at 306 Ash Ave. South in New Richland.
