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Update for March 24-28, 2008 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director

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Did your district run a levy last year or are they looking to run one this year? Are you tired of working levies and worrying about your kids' schools? Do you want to change this cycle? Do you feel like you're the only one worried about this? Would it help to talk with parents from other districts who are going through the same things?

Do you want to tell the leaders of the Senate and House education committees about your concerns and hear what they have to say about the future possibilities for our schools? Do you want to know if your involvement even matters?

Then join us April 7 for the 6th Annual Parent Leadership Summit, a parent meeting for parents held by parents!

Register now so we can count you in!

What is happening at the Capitol?

The K-12 Education Finance Supplemental Budget Bill HF 2475 (Greiling) and the House K-12 Policy Bill HF 3316 (Mariani) have been heard and passed out of the education committees.

The Senate E-12 Policy Bill SF 3001 (Wiger) and the E-12 Budget Recommendation Bill SF 3631 (Stumpf) have also passed out of education committees.

At this time, it appears that HF 2475 will be rolled into the House Omnibus Supplemental Finance Bill and the Senate Budget Recommendations SF 3631 will become part of the Senate Omnibus Supplemental Finance Bill. These bills provide funding for schools and may contain policy provisions that have a fiscal cost to the state.

This leaves the strictly-policy provisions in SF 3001 (Wiger) and HF 3316 (Mariani). I would hope the intent would be to conference these two bills using the traditional conference committee process. However, that is unclear at the moment.

In this issue

Highlights from the HF 2475 (House funding bill)

1. Adds $51 per pupil (one-time money).
2. Allows districts to transfer up to $51 additional from their existing capitol expenditure budgets to operating budgets.
3. Provides for a report card with a growth-based value-added model to supplement the existing state report card that states AYP.
4. Funds the Principal's Academy.
5. Broadens the eligibility to qualify more districts for alternative facilities bonding.
6. Allows K-12 tuition reciprocity to adjoining states.
7. Allows for a change in levy ballot question: Instead of "you may be voting for a property tax increase," the ballot may now read "By voting 'YES' on this Ballot question, you are renewing an existing property tax referendum. You are not changing your operating referendum from its level in the previous year."
8. Requires the additional $3 per pupil unit that was added in 2007 to be used only for expanding licensed school support staff.
9. Extends the term of the special education task force.
10. Authorizes the FY2008 appropriation for AP/IB and concurrent enrollment programs to carry forward into FY 2009.
11. Reduces the appropriation to the Minnesota Department of Education by 4%.
12. Limits participation in QComp for FY 2009 to only districts previously participating or that had an application pending.
13. Directs the Commissioner of Education to convene a group of experts and interested stakeholders, including parents, to develop a model projecting anticipated performance of each high school on preparation and rigorous course work measures that compares the school with similar schools.
14. A provision for the Commissioner to nullify by August 1, 2009 the state place submitted to the federal DOE to implement No Child Left Behind.
15. For the year 2009-2010, school districts may start on August 31 and in 2010-2011 may begin on August 30.

In this issue

Highlights of HF 3316 (House policy bill)

1. Provides for a report card with a growth-based value-added model to supplement the existing state report card that states AYP.
2. Allows for appeals to the GRAD test in years 08-09, 09-10 and 10-11 only.
3. Directs the Commissioner to align statewide assessments to the existing academic standards.
4. Directs the Commissioner, in collaboration with the Minnesota Education Technology Task Force, to establish district technology standards.
5. School districts are encouraged to develop goals for improving academic achievement and to eliminate the differences in academic performance among groups of students defined by race, ethnicity and income.
6. Districts must indicate how current resources are used to implement the plan: integration and limited English proficiency aid, early childhood and family education, school readiness, basic skills, extended time, and alternative compensation revenue.
7. Teacher prep programs must provide opportunities to acquire competencies to administer gifted and talented services.
8. Teacher preparation programs must instruct in historical and cultural competencies regarding Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities and their contributions to MN.
9. Committee on American Indian education programs to advise Commissioner is provided for.
10. Advisory task force to improve students' academic achievement provided for.
11. Advisory task force integrating secondary and postsecondary academic and career education provided for.
12. Charter school advisory task force does not expire.
13. Extends special education task force.

In this issue

Highlights from SF 3631 (Senate funding bill)

1. $36 per ADM (average daily memberships) ongoing appropriation.
2. Limits participation in QComp to only districts previously participating or that had an application pending until June of 2013 (this is one of the revenue streams for the $36).
3. Eliminates land trust subtraction (this is one of the revenue streams for the $36).
4. Provides for a report card with a growth-based value-added model to supplement the existing state report card that states AYP.
5. Increases lease levy authority from $100 to $150.
6. Increases reimbursement to districts for pre-school screening.
7. Increases milk subsidy from $0.14 to $0.20.
8. Allows for Minnesota Virtual Education, an online learning resource for students and teachers.
9. Allows for teacher institutes in math and science.
10. Allows for Principals' Academy.
11. Extends Special Education Task force.
12. Provides for a state advisory board for early childhood learning.
    Committee on American Indian Education to advise the Commissioner is provided for.
13. Provides for K-12 tuition reciprocity in adjoining states.
14. Several appropriations to specific school districts for flood, damage or alternative facilities bonding authority.

In this issue

Highlights of SF 3001 (Senate policy bill)

1. Provides for a report card with a growth-based value-added model to supplement the existing state report card that states AYP.
2. Adds a reading competency assessment for teacher licensure.
3. Provides for a P-20 (pre-school through college) committee with legislative participation.
4. Responsible family life and sexuality education programs.
5. Requires one-half credit of physical education for graduation.
6. Provision for a parent to waive student out of this phy ed requirement.
7. Requires a racially isolated school district to have a desegregation or integration plan.
8. Allows certain data to be shared between the Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
9. Requires teachers on leave for charter schools to contact by February 1 if they wish to return to their district.
10. Directs the Commissioner to align current assessments with current academic standards.
11. Allows for use of environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products.

In this issue

A Look Ahead at the Week of March 31

Committee meetings and bills scheduled to be heard change frequently! Be sure to check the daily schedule of hearings and agendas.

What's ahead? According to an MPR press release from Thursday, March 27, it appears that the Governor is taking aim at the proposed supplemental state report card, something that is in all four of the bills summarized above. This report card uses a growth model. Using the best assessment minds in the state, including from the University of Minnesota, the working group chaired by Sen. Rummel and Rep. Brynaert worked over the interim to devise a model that would use multiple indicators and give the public even more information.

You may remember that the existing state report card used stars to quantify the work being done at our schools based on their MCA test scores. When the star-rating system was repealed last session, work began to provide the public with a more complex view of Minnesota's system of schools and learning. The proposed replacement report card provides greater information so that we can see if all students are learning, including both students who are above grade level and also those who are below grade level on standardized tests.

This proposed report card has been reviewed and revised for year through the working group; however, in his press release about this report card supplement, Governor Pawlenty is quoted as saying: "We had, of course, our star rating system; that was discontinued. But we are right now rebooting that process. It will happen in one of two ways: it will either happen through legislation that we can agree to and that I will sign into law, or if the legislation fails, then we will move forward administratively, and recreate a report card to our liking." If memory serves me correctly, that is how we got the star rating system implemented by former Commissioner Yecke in the first place. So I see a showdown ahead.

These bills need to finish traveling through the committee process and then onto the floor. There is always the possibility of amending the bills. Depending on what happens during those floor sessions the bills may be passed onto the conference committee process or not. We will have to wait and see.

In this issue

Bills to Watch

As the session heats up there are many bills that come forward that you may have interest in watching. On our site, we have them listed in a very convenient way. Check it out!

The four omnibus bills described above are the ones to watch this week. It appears the two finance bills will be rolled into each body's repsective omnibus finance bills.

• HF 2475 (Greiling) K-12 Education Finance Supplemental Bill
• SF 3631 (Stumpf) Senate E-12 Budget Recommendations

The education policy bills contain the provisions that may be included in a final education omnibus bill, if such a bill is moved forward.

• HF 3316 (Mariani) K-12 policy provisions
• SF 3001 (Wiger) E-12 policy provisions

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