Home > News & Events > Updates	Print View

Update for March 10-14, 2008 — From Mary Cecconi, Executive Director

If this is your first update from Parents United, welcome!
Please let us know if you have questions or experience
any problems with your mailings from us.

What is happening at the Capitol?
The Governor's budget was released late last Friday afternoon, March 7, and his education appropriation bill was heard this week. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) explained the bill to each of the education committees in both bodies. The Governor's appropriation for education is tied to his initiatives. In focusing on teacher quality, he is proposing just under $6 million to provide for alternative pathways for mid-level career folks to enter the teaching profession, recruitment at the college level for teachers in areas of high need, and continuing his QComp program as a way to retain effective teachers. He is also proposing $1 million for  the development of an online teaching tool. All of these programs would be administered by the MDE. This is the Governor's budget proposal for education; the Senate and House will also have theirs.

Policy bills in both the House and the Senate have been compiled. This is the process by which each body places those bills that have no fiscal implication into one bill. The bills with financial (fiscal) implications will be compiled after the committee chairs receive their targets from their respective leadership.

At this point, targets are being determined. The leaders of both bodies determine how much each division receives, or needs to cut, from their piece of the pie. These "targets" are being determined now and the committee chairs are to learn of them next week. When that happens, they can then go to work determining the finances for education; if the target is flat, they need to work within that parameter.

The final Education Omnibus bill is comprised of bills with and without fiscal implications. The House develops one and the Senate the other. The bills are justified--or reconciled--with one another during the conference committee process. That process involves five members of each body sitting down to hash out the final Education Omnibus Bill. So the current bills are a first step in a long process. My apologies for this civics lesson to those of you who know all of this and more....

In this issue

What Can I Do?

1. Special Project at the Summit: Throughout the day of the Summit on April 7, we will be filming a video comprised of stories told by you - public school parents. While this video will be fairly simple, we believe that in this format your stories can have a powerful impact. Every local school in Minnesota has stories to tell, stories which reveal the valuable role which public schools play for students, their families and their communities. We invite you to tell your story. Contact Eunice Slager by email or phone (651-999-7391) if you can participate and we'll send you a few questions so that you will be prepared to tell us your story on camera. We welcome your participation in this exciting project!
   
   
2. Watch out, St. Paul -- Brainerd is coming! Parents and friends of Brainerd schools will be busing to the Capitol to talk to legislators and legislative leaders about their concerns for their schools and the state of our education funding system. What ideas are percolating in your school district? Let us know and we'll work with you to support your efforts and help you direct your time and energy.

"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

In this issue

A Look Ahead at the Week of March 17
Committee meetings and bills scheduled to be heard change frequently! Be sure to check the daily schedule of hearings and agendas.

The targets are to be announced early next week; check the link at At the Capitol. We are anxiously awaiting these targets.

• If you have received this email and want to learn more about us, check our website and let us know if you have questions. Click this link if you are interested in our legislative platform.
• 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.
• 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 me 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 Mary Cecconi.

In this issue

Other 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!

HF 3316 (Mariani) is the House Education Policy Bill and SF 3001 (Wiger) is the Senate Education Policy Omnibus Bill. These bills contain the provisions that the respective committees have chosen to be included.

In this issue

Hot Topics

• An important report on the cost of high school dropouts in Minnesota, from the Alliance for Excellence in Education
• Spending targets to be set Monday, see At the Capitol
• Governor Pawlenty's Proposed Education Budget: Introduction and first reading; referred to House K-12 Finance Division

In this issue

Bills Scheduled to be Heard

Senate Education Committee
Bills scheduled to be heard:
S.F. 3079 (Olson, M. A.-DFL-Bemidji) Integrating Instruction of the Contributions of Minnesota American Indian Tribes and Communities into Teacher Preparation and Licensing
S.F. 3525 (Olson, M. A.-DFL-Bemidji) Dakota and Ojibwa Language Program Task Force.
S.F. 3349 (Pappas-DFL-St. Paul) Comprehensive Family Life and Sexuality Education Programs
S.F. 2773 (Pappas-DFL-St. Paul) Teacher Training for Rigorous Content
S.F. 2741(Marty-DFL-Roseville) Alternative Facilities Bonding and Levy Program Eligibility Standards
S.F. 3064 (Marty-DFL-Roseville) School Safety Drill Participation Expectation
S.F. 1945 (Ortman-R-Chanhassen) Charter School Students Extracurricular Activities Participation
S.F. 3100 (Saltzman-DFL-Woodbury) Modifying the Reporting of Assessment Results
S.F. 2816 (Saltzman-DFL-Woodbury) State Health Plan for Teachers
S.F. 3523 (Saltzman-DFL-Woodbury) Student Policy Guidelines Expansion Requirement
S.F. 3526 (Torres Ray-DFL-Minneapolis) Nutrition as Required Academic Standard
S.F. 3001 (Wiger-DFL-North St. Paul) MDE Technical and Policy Bill
S.F. 3226 (Bonoff-DFL-Minnetonka) Early Childhood Subcommittee Bill
S.F. 2835 (Lynch-DFL-Rochester) Labor Day Repealer
S.F. 3153 (Clark-DFL-St. Cloud) Early Childhood Education Office Creation
S.F. 3657 (Saxhaug-DFL-Grand Rapids) Online Learning Option Act Modification

In this issue

Senate E-12 Education Budget Division
Bills scheduled to be heard:
S.F. 3092 (Rummel-DFL-White Bear Lake) Minnesota learning resource center appropriation
S.F. 1736 (Koering-R-Ft. Ripley) World War II veterans GED diploma awards
S.F. 382 (Tomassoni-DFL-Chisholm) School health and physical education requirements
S.F. 2420 (Wiger-DFL-North St. Paul) High school earth and space, life and physical sciences assessment requirement
S.F. 2051 (Doll-DFL-Burnsville) School districts locally developed achievement standards report
S.F. 3631 (Stumpf-DFL-Thief River Falls) Governor's education appropriation
S.F. 3355 (Rest-DFL-New Hope) School district referendum election flexibility authorization
S.F. 2834 (Rosen-R-Fairmont) School districts lease levy authority increase
S.F. 3204 (Scheid-DFL-Brooklyn Park) School districts integration revenue modification; statutory operating debt levy authority
S.F. 3420 (Lynch-DFL-Rochester) Kindergarten students K-12 school milk program reimbursement increase
S.F. 2149 (Stumpf-DFL-Thief River Falls) School districts capital facilities bond repayment extension

In this issue

House E-12 Education Policy
Bills scheduled to be heard:
HF3316 (Mariani-DFL-St. Paul) Prekindergarten through grade 12 education provided for general education, education excellence, special programs, libraries, and self-sufficiency and lifelong learning
HF2955 (Simon-DFL-St. Louis Park) School background check requirements modified
HF3467 (Norton-DFL-Rochester) Teacher leave request to teach at a charter school time period modified
HF3469 (Davnie-DFL-Minneapolis) Private student transportation services contracting procedures and standards established
HF4044 (Peterson, S-DFL-New Hope) Regional pupil transportation centers authorized
HF3780 (Hornstein-DFL-Minneapolis) Comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction definition clarified, pre-kindergarten through grade 6 teacher requirements made, and money appropriated
HF3624 (Mariani-DFL-St. Paul) Public education mission expanded to include a framework to guide future education policy decisions

In this issue

House K-12 Finance Division
Bills scheduled to be heard:
HF3593 (Marquart-DFL-Dilworth) School district reciprocity agreements modified
HF3329 (Brynaert-DFL-Mankato) Academic success state measures established
HF3423 (Hilstrom-DFL-Brooklyn Center) School district integration revenue increased, and levy created for school districts with negative fund balances
HF3140 (Westrom-R-Elbow Lake) Postsecondary enrollment options program modified
HF3951 (Greiling-DFL-Roseville) Governor's education appropriation
HF3485 (Rukavina-DFL-Virginia) Independent School District No. 706, Virginia fund transfer authorized
HF3321 (Faust-DFL-Mora) Independent School District No. 2580, East Central account transfer authorized
HF3188 (Magnus-R-Slayton) Independent School District No. 671, Hills-Beaver Creek; Disability access account funds transfer authorized to undesignated general fund
HF2812 (Seifert-R-Marshall) Independent School District No. 411, Balaton, account transfer authorized
HF2658 (Hosch-DFL-St. Joseph) Independent School District No. 750, Rocori; account transfer authorized
HF2577 (Welti-DFL-Plainview) Independent School District No. 2899, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, community education fund balance adjustment corrected
HF3390 (Loeffler-DFL-Minneapolis) Public health access fund established, BMI monitoring program for children established, statewide health improvement program established, tobacco impact fees increased, and money appropriated
HF3647 (McNamara-R-Hastings) Independent School District No. 200, Hastings school bus leasing expenses funding provided, and money appropriated.

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