Phil Krinkie's Conservative Views on Schools November 1, 2007
Media Coverage
November 2007 (undated) - There they go again - Whenever our friends on the left are confronted with thoughts they don’t like, their first reaction is not to engage in discussion but rather attack the person expressing a differing view, Phil Krinkie, Minnesota Taxpayers League.
October 31, 2007 - The Ugly Truth - The contrast is stark: Progressives want to help children get the education they deserve while conservatives would throw students overboard to save a few pennies on their taxes, Minnesota 2020.
Citizen's League Since August 2006, the Citizen's League has published a series of articles relevant to public education in their monthly Minnesota Journal and Executive Director Sean Kershaw is posting about public education issues in his Weblog
January 2007 - The January 2007 Minnesota Journal focuses on the first question from the Minnesota Anniversary Project agenda: “How can politics become more useful in solving citizens’ shared problems?”
Page 3 - Shakespeare was right: All the world is a stage: And it's time to remodel our political theater, Sean Kershaw.
Page 7 - Politics shouldn't be a spectator sport: We can get more Minnesotans off the couch and into the arena, Mark Ritchie.
Page 1 - Minnesota's promise of equal opportunity for all is going unmet: English language learners are being left behind by a system that doesn't meet their needs (multiple authors)
Page 3 - The need for new and renewed institutions: Rethinking, remaking and restoring Minnesota's real "miracle", Sean Kershaw.
Saint Paul NEAT has posted prior reports from the Citizen's League at their Achievement Gap page on Higher Education.
Governor Pawlenty's Budget Proposal
May 2007 - What’s At Stake: 2007 Revenue Proposals - Two critical questions before policymakers are whether to raise additional revenues, and whether to address rising inequality in our tax system—and if so, how. The House, Senate, and Governor have very different answers to these questions, Minnesota Budget Project.
Economic Indicators: Minnesota’s GDP ranking plummeted from 15th (1997-2004) to 40th (2004-2005) in real GDP growth rates.
Transportation: The cost of congestion increased from $541 million in 1996 to $975 million in 2003.
Housing: The Twin Cities' Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) dropped from 9th (1995) to 76th (Q3, 2006) among 203 metropolitan areas.
K-12 Education: Minnesota's investment in K-12 spending dropped from 15th in the nation (1998) to 22nd (2004).
Higher Education: Minnesota dropped from providing 69.7% (1999-2000) to 50.6% (2006-2007) of tuition costs.
Uninsured Children: The number of uninsured children in Minnesota grew from 44,000 in 1999 to 68,000 in 2004.
Natural Resources: Minnesota’s ranking among the states for natural resources spending as a percentage of state budget dropped from 10th in 1999 to 17th in 2003.
April 2007 - Race and Budget Matters in Minnesota: A Mid-Term Progress Report - Examines the racial impact of central elements of the governor’s FY 2008-09 budget proposal in areas of health and education, poses policy questions, and highlights 40 critical racial equity bills in the 2007 legislative session, Organizing Apprenticeship Project.
February 28 - Revised Budget Forecast Released - There's a narrow window of time, between the release of the February forecast and when division targets are set, when it's critical to let House and Senate Leadership know where your budget priorities, Parents United.
