Minnesota Ponders Ways To Revamp Finance System

By Joanna Richardson

Spurred in part by the financial troubles of several districts where voters rejected tax proposals, the Minnesota legislature is expected to consider ways to revamp the state's school-funding scheme.

A group of business leaders, politicians, parents, and others brought together by the legislature released a proposal last month. The Minnesota Education Association and another task force made up of lawmakers are working on plans of their own.

These groups generally agree that the state should pay a greater share of education costs. The state nearly froze funding for its school-aid formula in three of the past four years, and a last-minute change to a 1993 education bill capped spending on programs such as...