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While not much can be done to increase school funding while the state's economy is in trouble, the funding formula that allocates money to schools can be revised.
That was the message heard by a crowd of more than 300 Friday night at Lakeview Middle School Auditorium.
The problem, said State Sen. Kent Adams and State Rep. David Wolkins, is that there are two schools of thought on the funding formula, and a compromise is unlikely.
One group in the Legislature wants to allocate money according to numbers of students, Wolkins said. The other group wants to keep things the way they are, which doesn't adjust the funding formula if students move out of a school district, virtually giving schools with fewer students more money.
"I absolutely will support funding that will follow the student," Wolkins. "The trouble is, 270 out of 292 schools are getting more money for less students."
Adams and Wolkins were on the hot seat at Friday's town hall meeting on education funding. Moderated by WRSW's Harvey Miller, the meeting included questions from Warsaw Community Schools personnel, the Warsaw Community High School student council and the Warsaw Community Education Association. Questions and comments from the public also were allowed.
In response to questions about school funding and the need to cut teachers from WCHS, Adams stressed that state government is running at a deficit. "The state has no money. We have no money. That $2 billion deficit is there."
He said state spending on education amounts to 55 percent of the state's total budget. "Education programs have not received the same scrutiny downstate as other state programs. ... We represent a lot of folks that are not educators, are not teachers. We have to balance health care, Medicaid and all these other things."
In response to comments about the state cutting funding for education, Wolkins said, "There have never been any cuts in state aid to education. There have only been cuts in the increases."
The only choice for legislators who want to increase spending for public schools is to raise taxes, Wolkins said, or, if the area's residents are willing, they can vote on a local referendum to raise money locally for schools.
Wolkins said no one has asked teachers to take a pay cut, and they have had minimal pay increases for the past few years. However, some other state employees have had no raises for up to eight years.
Terry Sims, president of WCEA, said for the last five years, Warsaw teachers have taken less than a 2 percent increase, and last year insurance premiums increased 56 percent. School superintendent David McGuire later said it is hard for WCS to recruit teachers because "we can't offer them a competitive wage." (According to the Department of Education Web site, the average teacher salary in Warsaw is $44,800.)
Members of the public who addressed the legislators bemoaned the elimination of elementary school counselors and one man said he would be willing to pay more in taxes to support education.
In one of the most heated exchanges of the evening, WCS business manager Rande Thorpe said Warsaw has not been treated fairly by the state for more than 15 years, and he challenged Adams and Wolkins to fight for the school corporation.
"What are you going to do for us?" he asked. "Other representatives throughout the state are fighting for their schools, yet when we address questions to our legislators, we're told to tighten our belt."
He also said neither Adams nor Wolkins had ever sponsored a bill to revise the state's funding formula.
Dr. Mark Stock, Wawasee schools superintendent, said Kosciusko County is at the bottom of the state in terms of funding per pupil.
"If we can't get adequate funding, how about local control?" he asked. "... We have neither adequate funding nor local control in Kosciusko County. Is there anything we can do to bring equity in funding or local control?"
Mark Minatel, member of the Warsaw school board, also asked Adams and Wolkins to fight for Warsaw schools.
"I know it's a tough fight," he said, "but if you don't take this fight on for us, who will?"
Wolkins said he has heard from hundreds of constituents, and "they're telling me something different from what I'm hearing from this group. Do I not represent them? ... I am standing up for what my district wants. It may not be what you want, but it's what the majority of people in my district want."
In response to a question from student council member Daric Snyder about the long-term funding problems, Wolkins said, "We have to get people jobs so they can pay taxes so schools will get funding. ... We are taking money from every other program. We are spending more than we are taking in."
Stock responded by saying, "We don't want people to pay any more money in property taxes, we just want equitable distribution of the money that's already out there."
