FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 16^th, 2008
Contact: Duane Sand, (701) 223-9887

Fargo School District:  Putting Teachers and Taxpayers Last

Fargo, ND – Recent news that the Fargo School District is considering two plans to bail out the embattled Urban Plains Center should have teachers, parents, and taxpayers concerned.

In the January 17^th article by Heather Hotzler in the Fargo Forum, the school district business manager Dan Hoffman is cited as saying the district has $25 million in reserves.  The two possible plans to either pre-pay for the ability to use the center or outright loan the Metro Sports Foundation the funds to complete financing of the center show how misplaced the districts priorities are.

More than half the property tax burden for residents of Fargo is caused by the school district.  The district has increased its demand for local property taxes by 76% over the last 10 years.  In the same 10 years, state funding for the school district has increased 50%, and Federal funding has more than doubled.  With all this new money, the school district has build up a large $25 million surplus.

Enrollment, however, is down 9% since 1997.

“The Fargo School district has so much money that it is now promoting itself as a bank.  If this district has so much money lying around, why don’t they increase teacher pay?  Why don’t they cut property taxes since that’s what we are told is the greatest problem in the state?  And at a minimum, the school board members should stop blaming the state for inadequate education funding and/or using that as an excuse for high property taxes.” said Duane Sand, state director of Americans for Prosperity.

“We hope that the public starts asking these questions.  Having a large reserve in case of an emergency isn’t a bad idea, but do the residents of Fargo want their education dollars to be used for venture capital?” concluded Sand.