Minnesotans thirst for more public school funding by the state. More than half of the respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Center for Community and Opinion said they feel Minnesota is not sufficiently funding its schools.

The problems that face public schools in Minnesota, such as inadequate funding by the state, allocation of funds between programs or teacher performance and pay, are ones that can be amended through the State Legislature. The state needs to start looking at the separate problems that actually face the schools, rather than the existence of the general problem of insufficient funds. The problem isn’t getting the money allocated to education through the Legislature, but it is then being able to successfully allocate the money available to the correct programs and resources within the state’s education system.

Also, with the recent announcement of the University’s strategic planning update Wednesday, funding for public education is something on many Minnesotans’ minds. The University wants to be ranked higher among research institutions, and along with that, the students attending the University might see harder admissions requirements. The General College will start to undergo its journey into oblivion, taking away a doorway into the University for many students.

All of these changes create a state that needs to start focusing more on funding public schools at the K-12 levels. The opportunities given to students during their high school years shape important decisions about whether or not they choose to go forward with postsecondary education, what schools they apply to, what programs they are interested in and what schools accept them. All students should be allowed the same chance to successfully make these decisions, through adequate and more equal funding during their primary and secondary educations. Minnesota is already a state pumping out hardworking and highly valued young people, but a higher-ranked University might need to work harder to more adequately fund education at home to keep students at home.

There is the will in Minnesota. There must be a way.