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Update for Feb. 18-22, 2008 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director
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At the Capitol
Bills to Watch
Next Week at the Capitol
What Can I Do?
Hot Topics
List of Bills
Important Event
Annual State Parent Leadership Summit
Monday, April 7, 2008
What is happening at the Capitol
Things at the Session are heating up and what everyone is talking about is transportation. The session is short so the activity is intense.
However, much has been happening in the background for education. Rep Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville), Chair of the House K-12 Finance Division, reported to the House Education Policy Committee on the work of the School Finance working group, which has been meeting over the interim. You may remember how happy we were to have gotten the formation of that task force into law last session.
Chair Greiling reported the progress made on developing a comprehensive school funding reform bill. It appears that much of the framework used in the work of P.S. Minnesota will be seen in the bill. This is great news -- especially for the long term health of our schools.
Also, an interesting bill to watch is HF2983 (Peterson, S. DFL, New Hope). The intent is to establish an Office of Early Childhood Education whose purpose would be to focus on the needs of our earliest learners, birth to age five.
Bills to Watch
HF 2978 (Morgan-DFL-Burnsville) and its companion bill SF 2815 (Saxhaug-DFL-Grand Rapids) have been introduced and I expect hearings on them in the next two weeks.
I am calling these bills Emergency School bills: they call for an increase of 2% on the per pupil formula. The 2007 education bill reinstated the special education inflator so that the state would once again pay the cost of the special education services mandated for our students. [You may remember that in 2003, as a cost saving measure, the state capped what it would pay districts for these required special education services.]
By reinstating this inflator, and paying districts back some of the money owed them, the legislature fixed a huge issue. But the cost was dear. Because no new revenue was generated, the legislature could put only 2% on the per pupil formula in the first year of the biennium, and only 1% in the second year. As we approach that second year, we see schools cutting again; this is true EVEN in districts that were fortunate enough to pass local levies. These companion bills seek to add some needed dollars to the formula.
A Look Ahead at the Week of February 25
A daily schedule of hearings and agendas can be found here.
On Monday the Minnesota Department of Education will present its Technical Bill. This is an opportunity for us to hear the MDE and the Governor‘s initiatives for our schools. Two very interesting bills dealing with effective literacy instruction and early childhood opportunities and accountability will be heard on Wednesday. All of these bills will be heard in the Senate Education Committee.
It is not yet listed on the website, but I expect the bill dealing with a new report card for our schools to be heard possibly as soon as next week in both bodies.
- 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.
- Also, the Minnesota School Boards Association hosts a lobby line which they update daily with legislative activity they see as pertinent to Minnesota schools. That number is 1-800-864-6722.
- 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.
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
- A Crazy Way to Fund Schools: Many, many parent leaders wrote letters after the success or failure of their local levy efforts in November. Read a sampling of their heartfelt appeals to political leaders.
- Wondering who's on what committee at the legislature? Find out here!
New Report: Special Education Funding Trends
Senate Education Committee
Bills scheduled to be heard:
SF 2422 (Wiger-DFL-North St. Paul) Eliminating the Permanent School Fund Subtraction
SF 2392 (Wiger-DFL-North St. Paul) Eliminating the Permanent School Fund Subtraction and Dedicate Funding
SF 2811 (Lynch-DFL-Rochester) Management of School Trust Fund Lands
SF 2370 (Wiger-DFL-North St. Paul) P-20 Partnership
SF XXXX (Lynch-DFL-Rochester) School Year Start Before Labor Day Prohibition Repeal
SF 2821 (Lynch-DFL-Rochester) Regional Library System and ELM Accessibility
SF 2796 (Saxhaug-DFL-Grand Rapids) Modifying Teaching Employment for Early Childhood Education Programs
SF 2626 (Koch-R-Buffalo) Public Employers Discretion in Granting leaves of Absence Over One Year
Senate E-12 Education Budget Division
Bills scheduled to be heard:
SF 2682 (Skogen-DFL-Hewitt) Library accessibility and improvement grants bond issue and appropriation
SF 2360 (Scheid-DFL-Brooklyn Park) ISD #279 Osseo; Brooklyn Center Northwest Hennepin Family Center construction grant bond issue and appropriation
SF 2603 (Latz-DFL-St. Louis Park) Perpich Center for Arts Education capital improvements bond issues and appropriation
SF 2584 (Day-R-Owatonna) Minnesota State Academies asset preservation bond issue and appropriation.
SF 2585 (Day-R-Owatonna) Minnesota State Academies Frechette hall renovation bond issue and appropriation.
SF 2624 (Day-R-Owatonna) Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Mott hall renovation bond issue and appropriation
SF 1422 (Foley-DFL-Coon Rapids) Independent school district #11, Anoka Hennepin; capital improvements loan bond issue and appropriation
SF 2608 (Rosen-R-Fairmont) Independent school district #2134, United South Central; cooperative facilities grant application, bond issue and appropriation
SF 2548 (Sparks-DFL-Austin) Independent school district #242, Alden-Conger; multifunction facility design and construction bond issue and appropriation
SF 2774 (Day-R-Owatonna) Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Pollard hall bond issue and appropriation.
House E-12 Education Policy
Bills scheduled to be heard:
Reports from Interim working groups --
* Andy Welti, Science teacher licensure by exam
* Mindy Greiling, Update on K-12 Education Finance Division interim work group
HF2983 (Peterson, S., DFL-New Hope) Office of Early Childhood Education established.
HF2984 (Slawik-DFL-Maplewood) School age care modified
HF2785 (Gardner-DFL-Shorview) Conflict of interest exception established for certain school contracts for professional and other services.
HF2185 (Lanning-R- Moorhead) Healthy child development within communities grant program established, and money appropriated.
HF2982 (Bly-DFL-Northfield) Alternative learning centers and charter schools five-year pilot program established to identify systemic improvement measures to best serve eligible students, and money appropriated.
HFXXXX (Peterson, S., DFL-New Hope) School readiness assessments and kindergarten transition strategies provided, and money appropriated.
HF2974 (Dittrich-DFL-Champlin) School trust land citizen oversight committee provided.
House K-12 Finance Division
Bills scheduled to be heard:
HF2807 (Brown-DFL-Austin) Independent School District No. 242, Alden-Conger, funding provided for Alden Community Center; bonds issued; and money appropriated.
HF3118 (Tschumper-DFL-LaCresent) Independent School District No. 239, Rushford-Peterson, cooperative facilities grant provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF3178 (Sailer-DFL-Park Rapids) Public K-12 school renewable energy grants, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2558 (Murphy, M-DFL-Hermantown) Omnibus bonding recommendation bill
Questions? Email Mary Cecconi
Parents United for Public Schools
1667 Snelling Avenue N., St. Paul, MN 55108
651-999-7391
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Parent: A person who brings up and cares for another. (Merriam-Webster)