Real talk on school funding

Rob Rapheal
Guest Columnist
I’ve heard many people say that school funding is so complicated that it is almost impossible to understand. True, but most of the money that pays for our schools comes from the state budget in what’s called per-pupil funding. This means that for each student, a district is given a fixed dollar amount. The other funding sources, which can include federal money, local levies and compensatory (funding tied to specific needs), are important, but I want to talk about per pupil funding because it is the most important to districts like ours.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Every two years, the House, Senate and governor set the amount of the per-pupil funding, and over the last 15 years, the amount that the state has allocated to schools has not kept up with inflation. This means that school districts have been cutting the amount going into the classroom or relying on passing local levies to

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Forest Lake Events for April 27, 2017

Wood carving auction
The Lakes Area Wood Carvers is having an auction (mostly items related to wood carving) April 27 at the Forest Lake Senior Center starting shortly after 7 pm.
Get hired teen event
The Lakes Center for Youth and Families will host a get hired event for April 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Central Learning Center at 200 SW 4th Ave. Teens will learn how to find a job and get tips on how to successfully fill out an application, create a cover letter and resume, understand soft skills, and learn how to interview. They will also have the opportunity to meet with local businesses that hire youth. Previous businesses have included Express Employment, Famous Dave’s, Perkins, GAP, Taco Bell, and more.
Pancake fundraiser
The Forest Lake Masons will host a pancake and sausage breakfast to benefit MOST FL April 30 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 119 8th

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Columbus to businesses: Big things are afoot

Photos by Ryan HowardAttendees at Columbus’s April 20 ColumBiz business forum check out maps of upgrades coming to the State Highway 97 bridge and County Road 54.
Ryan Howard
News Editor
Julie Parent
Columbus Reporter
At the ninth annual gathering of city’s businesses and at the city’s most recent council meeting, Columbus was celebrating its recent and upcoming growth and looking into how the city can further develop in the future.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Road and bridge
Several city and business representatives attended the ninth ColumBiz, the city’s annual business forum, April 20 at Running Aces Casino and Harness Park.
During the meeting, representatives from Anoka County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation gave updates to the crowd on the State Highway 97/Lake Drive Northeast bridge construction planning as well as the realignment of County Road 54/West Freeway Drive.
Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah praised the partnership between the city, the council and MnDOT in getting the bridge project to where it

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