New School Year, New Mandates
By Senator Jason Rarick

It’s that time of the summer: school years are starting, students and parents are preparing for the year ahead, and school teachers and administrators are preparing hallways and classrooms to welcome in another year of learning. Though this is an exciting time for many, unfortunately many schools across the state will be facing several new challenges and budgetary constraints, thanks to much of the education legislation that has passed throughout the last two years.

In 2023, Democrats put forward a hyper-partisan education bill that they touted as a “historic” investment in schools. The bill was controversial and included over 60 new mandates that schools would have to adhere to. Unfortunately, many of those mandates were unfunded, which meant that the new “historic” funding would be completely eaten up as schools attempted to adhere to new mandates and standards. Many districts were worried that this process left no funding for students, and would force their budgets even deeper into the red. The 2023 bill was overly burdensome and also failed to include funding for school safety initiatives and direct funding for classrooms.

What our schools were left with was a bill that did little to help students and improve test scores. Senate Republicans attempted all session long to shift focus to what matters the most: putting students first and preparing them for a successful future. We even tried to present a “Students First” education plan that would have included an increase on the formula with no new mandates tied to it, an increase in the special education cross-subsidy, and funding for a literacy program that would help failing literacy scores across the state. The result would have been fewer unfunded mandates and more flexibility for schools to utilize funds in a way that best suits their students and needs. It was a shame Democrats were unwilling to negotiate and instead passed hundreds of pages of unfunded mandates.

In 2024, the same theme continued – more mandates on schools. After the 2023 bill passed, many schools came to the legislature and shared their concerns: their budgets were suffering and they were considering staff, budget, and program cuts to keep their schools and districts whole. They were concerned that they would not be able to implement the new mandates from 2023, which is why it was troubling to see that Democrats opted to once again pass another burdensome bill in 2024. This year’s bill included another handful of mandates and failed to provide any relief to the schools that were already struggling.

This year Senate Republicans once again attempted to offer numerous amendments, based on the concerns we had heard from schools. One of which proposed shifting funding and distributing it back to schools as a simple per-student payment. This would have resulted in about $100 for every student, which would go directly to the schools to be used for whatever the district needs. This would have given schools the flexibility to address budget gaps or to focus funding directly into classroom initiatives that improve education. Flexibility is the key here – rather than picking programs and mandating spending, this unencumbered funding would give schools and districts the ability to use the funding wherever they feel it is most needed.

Instead of passing unfunded mandates that expand state control over local education, I’d rather see the legislature fund literacy and math proficiency initiatives. Our students are the future of our state and nation, and we should be focused on legislation that prioritizes and improves their education. I’m disappointed that Democrats pushed ahead with a partisan agenda, and I’m sorry that many schools throughout the state will start the 2024-2025 school year with burdensome mandates to adhere to, and a number of new budget constraints. As we head into the next legislative session, I will continue to advocate for flexibility in funding and fewer mandates – our schools and students deserve better.