Local leaders discuss funding for public education

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Efforts were underway Saturday to bring more government funding to Rochester Public Schools.

The Isiah Organization held a forum with RPS representatives including superintendent, Kent Pekel. Over 50 community members attended ranging from students, teachers and parents.

Advocates say public schools need more funding from the state to support student’s mental health, special education and English language learners.

“We’re progressing faster than we have in previous years, we’re still not done and there’s a lot of decisions to be made so it’s never too late to share your voice with your legislators and let them know you support public education funding because it supports our students and our staff,” RPS chair Cathy Nathan explained.

In February, the Rochester School Board approved a $14 million budget cut for RPS. The state’s legislative budget targets were released, allocating $2.2 billion in additional funding for K-12 education.

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