Educationforall:It'sintheConstitution

Articleby:MICHAELV.CIRESIandROBERTAB.WALBURN
June12,20118:37PM
Counterpoint
Lastmonth,theNewJerseySupremeCourtruledthatdespite
amultibillionstatebudgetshortfallitwasunconstitutionalfor
thelegislaturetocutfundingfordisadvantagedschools.The
courtorderedthestatetoincreasespendingforthoseschoolsby
$500millionnextyear.
LegislatorsinMinnesotashouldlistenandnotjusthear.TheNew
Jerseydecisionisbasedinpartonaprovisioninthatstate's
constitutionthatisverysimilarinfact,usessomeidentical
languagetotheMinnesotaconstitution.

AtBroadwayHigh,graduatescelebratedfinishingtheirhigh
schoolcareers..
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UndertheMinnesotaconstitution,ourLegislaturehasanaffirmativedutytoinsureanadequateeducationforourchildren.
Theeducationclause(Article13,Section1)states:"Thestabilityofarepublicanformofgovernmentdependingmainly
upontheintelligenceofthepeople,itisthedutyofthelegislaturetoestablishageneralanduniformsystemofpublic
schools.Thelegislatureshallmakesuchprovisionsbytaxationorotherwiseaswillsecureathoroughandefficient
systemofpublicschoolsthroughoutthestate."
In1993,theMinnesotaSupremeCourtruledthatthisconstitutionalprovisionelevatededucationtoa"fundamentalright,"
aphrasewithsignificantconstitutionalimplications.
Thecourtsaidthattheeducationclauseoftheconstitutionis"notsimplyagrantofpower"but,infact,"amandate"on
theLegislature.Andthecourtnotedthattheeducationclause"istheonlyplaceintheconstitutionwherethephrase'itis
thedutyofthelegislature'isused."
Inthat1993ruling,Skeenvs.State,thecourtendedupdismissingachallengetoeducationalfinancinginMinnesota.But
thecourtrepeatedlystatedinitsdecisionthat,aseventheplaintiffsinthecaseconceded,allMinnesotachildrenwere
receivinganadequatelevelofbasiceducationatthattime.
Aswellitshouldbe.Theprincipleunderlyingtheconstitutionalmandateisthatitisessentialtoafunctioningdemocracy
thatcitizensarecapableofmakinginformeddecisions.

Thatmostassuredlyisnecessaryintoday'scomplexandglobalsociety.Yettoday,whileourpublicschoolsservemany
studentswell,therearemanystudentsinourstatewhoarenotreceivinganadequateeducation,byanyobjective
standard.
Infact,Minnesotahasoneofthewidestachievementgapsofanystateinthecountrybetweenstudentswhoarepoorand
whoarewealthyandbetweenstudentswhoarewhiteandwhoareofcolor.
Afewstatisticsmakethepoint.Ourachievementgapforeighthgrademathranksus49thoutof50states.Eightyeight
percentofourAfricanAmericanfourthgradersreadbelowgradelevel,scoringworsethanAfricanAmericanstudentsin
Alabama.
Only44percentofAfricanAmericanstudents,45percentofLatinostudents,and41percentofNativeAmericanstudents
graduatefromhighschoolinMinnesota.
TheLegislaturehasadutyamandatetoact.Itcannotshirkitsduty,astheNewJerseylegislatureattemptedtodo,
basedonourcurrentbudgetshortfall.
Whilefundingiscertainlykey,itisnottheonlycomponentnecessarytoachieveeducationaladequacy.Minnesotaranks
farbelowmanyotherstateswithDsandFsineducationalreformpolicies.
AswefaceaspecialsessionoftheLegislature,itisinterestingtolookbackseveraldecades,tothe1971session.That
sessionendedinastalemateoneducationfundingissues.
Afterthesession,federalJudgeMilesW.Lordruledthatthestate'sschoolfinancesystemviolatedtheequalprotection
guaranteeoftheU.S.constitution.Lordendedhisopinionbystatingthatthecourtwoulddeferfurtheractionuntilafterthe
Legislatureacted.
Withinweeks,inaspecialsession,theLegislatureenactedlandmarklegislationknownasthe"MinnesotaMiracle."Their
objectivesachieved,theplaintiffsdismissedthelawsuitbeforeJudgeLord.
Now,timesandcircumstanceshavechanged.Minnesotaisnolongera"miracle"state.Foralltoomanypoorandchildren
ofcolor,ourstateisshockinglyaneducationalembarrassment.
ItistimeforourLegislaturetofulfillitsdutytoprovideabasic,adequateeducationfornotjustsomebutallof
Minnesota'schildren.
OurConstitutiondemandsnoless.
MichaelV.CiresiandRobertaB.WalburnareMinneapolisattorneysandmembersoftheboardoftheRobins,Kaplan,
Miller&CiresiFoundationforChildren.
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