By Dave Thompson
Bismarck, ND – The House Education Committee has begun work on a rewrite of the way the state funds local schools.
That rewrite comes from the Governor's Commission on Education Excellence. It was created after the state and school districts suing the state reached an agreement. The bill changes the funding formula to make it more simple, and adds another $82-million in funding for the schools.
Warren Larson is the Williston School Superintendent. His district is one of the plaintiffs. Larson says the Senate made some changes to the measure that the plaintiff districts would like to see removed -- but they aren't deal-breakers.
"SB 2200, as it is, meets all the needs, so the lawsuit would be dismissed," said Larson. "We realize it doesn't meet equity the way it's amended, so we're going to fight to have those amendments removed."
Larson says the amendments have to do with how oil and gas money is treated for those districts in the oil patch...how the Air Force Bases are figured in the formula...and how teacher compensation is handled.