Talks On Fixing School Funding Formula Begin

Discussions on how to fix the state school funding formula are underway. Joint Education Committee Chairman Charlie Shields of St. Joseph has told the Senators and Representatives on his committee he wants them to reach a decision in four weeks, so the concept can be handed off to the individual education committees in the House and Senate. Shields wants to break from the current formula. Under the current formula, the richest school district spends $13,500 per pupil, while the poorest spends not quite $4,800. Shields expects the state will have to pay between $400-Million and $600-Million more each year on schools even under a new formula.