February 15, 2008
Update for February 12-15, 2008 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director
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In This Issue
Important Events
Annual State Parent Leadership Summit
Monday, April 7, 2008
At the Capitol
The 2008 legislative session began on February 12 and it promises to be busy. You are signed up to receive our weekly legislative updates by email. PLEASE forward this email to those you think would be interested in having this information. If you have received this email and want to learn more about us, check our website and let us know if you have questions. If you are interested, check out our legislative platform.
If you are interested in tracking specific bills or in finding out more about the legislative education committees and when and where they meet, link to At the Capitol.
Senate Committee on Education
Agenda: A Decade of Action: Setting Priorities for STEM Education in Minnesota
The Senate E-12 Education committee was present at this event at the Science Museum on Wednesday, February 13.
House Committee: K-12 Finance Division
In an effort to get a bonding bill on the floor for action, all of the bonding efforts listed will be heard first in this committee and then move on for possible inclusion in an Omnibus Bonding bill. This committee is also responsible for funding our library system. It is the intent of this committee to determine which of these many efforts should be given top priority. Click to see the list of bills to be heard.
House Committee: E-12 Education
Agenda: Dr. Rodger Bybee, Director Emeritus of BSCS, SciMathMn briefing
During the interim session many of the members have been working on issues related to education policy. Many of these working groups have met jointly with the Senate. The intent of these groups is to devise policy from their study of the issue. This week reports from these interim working groups were heard.
Bill scheduled to be heard: HF2617 (Bly-DFL-Northfield) Early childhood education programs teaching employment requirements modified.
In this issue
Next Week at the Capitol: February 18-22
The Senate will be taking up bills dealing with land trust issues. Right now any monies gained from land trust are deducted from the formula. They are looking to repeal that action and allow more dollars to flow into K12.
A bill will be heard to repeal the prohibition of pre-Labor Day starts and the Minnesota Department of Education will be presenting its technical bill.
The Senate K-12 Education Finance Committee will hold hearings on the bills that are companions for the bonding bills heard in the House this last week. For a bill to make it into law it needs to have companion bills heard in both the House and the Senate.
What can I do?
1) Stay connected to this process. Consider sending a weekly email to your local legislators asking how things are going and if there is any thing you can do to help them keep education a priority this session. Many of you sent emails to your legislators and copied the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader and the Governor! This is great--we need a constant drumbeat on these issues.
2) Forward this email on to others who may be interested in the link between state policy and our local public schools.
3) Visit the Capitol! "Demystify the system" for yourself and others you may know. It is not as big or scary as you may think. Meet Mary Cecconi at the Capitol for an hour or a day, visit an education hearing and stop in to see your local legislators. Just call 651-214-6565 or email me.
"That the public understands that funding is the greatest problem facing the schools will have no practical significance unless we can find ways to translate this sentiment into better funding for schools. The day is gone when school people could concentrate on operating schools and leave others to take care of funding. School leaders, teachers, and parents have no choice but to become lobbyists for their schools. They are the best advocates for public schooling." —from 39th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll (see below)
In this issue
Hot Topics
- 39th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll (Sept. 2007) of the Public's Attitudes Toward The Public Schools - The more people know about NCLB, the less they like it.
- Education Funding – What's the Real Story? - Funding increase provided to schools was actually about 3 percent for the current school year and less than 1 percent for next year. Absent a supplemental funding package, school districts across the state will be forced to implement significant budget cuts next fall, AMSD Connections (page 2).
- Sticker Shock: Why Property Taxes are Going Through the Roof in Minnesota - The average property tax on a Minnesota homestead is expected to increase by 71 percent from 2002 to 2008. Growth in homestead property taxes from 2002 to 2008 cannot be attributed to growth in local government revenue. Total statewide real per capita county and city/town revenue and real per pupil school revenue have all fallen over this six year period, Minnesota 2020.
- Children's Issues Legislative Briefing, February 21, St. Paul.
In this issue
House K-12 Finance, Bills scheduled to be heard:
HF2558 (Murphy, M-DFL-Hermantown) Library accessibility and improvement grants funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2744 (Greiling-DFL-Roseville) State bond financed property sale proceeds distribution modified
HF1120 (Sailer-DFL-Park Rapids) Independent School District No. 38, Red Lake, maximum effort capital loan provided; bonds issued; and money appropriated.
HF2708 (Hilstrom-DFL-Brooklyn Center) Independent School District No. 279, Osseo, grant provided to construct the Northwest Hennepin Family Center in Brooklyn Center, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF0978 (Hortman-DFL-Brooklyn Park) Independent School District No. 11, Anoka-Hennepin, authorized to purchase and restore native prairie and wetland adjacent to Riverview Elementary School; bonds issued; and money appropriated.
HF2714 (Winkler-DFL-Golden Valley) Perpich Center for Arts Education spending authorized, bonds issued and money appropriated.
HF2678 (Fritz-DFL-Faribault) Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf campus; Mott Hall renovation funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2742 (Fritz-DFL-Faribault) Minnesota State Academies, Frechette Hall spending authorized, bonds issued and money appropriated.
HF2772 (Fritz-DFL-Faribault) Minnesota State Academies asset preservation funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HFXXXX (Fritz-DFL-Faribault) Minnesota State Academies capital improvements projects funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2605 (OlinDFL-Thief River Falls) Hallock Ice Arena funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HFXXXX (Brown-DFL-Austin) Cooperative facilities program, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HFXXXX (Sailer-DFL-Park Rapids) Grants to school districts for renewable energy projects.
In this issue
Questions? Email Mary Cecconi
Parents United for Public Schools
1667 Snelling Avenue N., St. Paul, MN 55108
651-999-7391
www.parentsunited.org
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