Sunday, February 08, 2009

Dueling Stimuli. No word yet as to whether or not the Congressional conference committee will feature banjo music, but it appears that the Senate is now poised to pass its version of the stimulus package with the Senate/House conference committee set to begin its deliberations shortly thereafter.

The vote in the Senate will not be significantly bi-partisan, but enough Republicans (it appears three) will be supporting the administration, which will give the Democratic majority the votes it needs to avoid the procedural pitfalls that often derail legislation in Washington.
The Senate has pared back the House version of the bill (much to the chagrin of House leadership) and has added a bit more in terms of tax breaks, including tax credits for first-time homebuyers. The education provisions of the House bill have been changed as well, but it appears that the additional special education aid and Title I money that would be authorized under the House bill are also contained in the Senate bill at similar levels. The big change is in the area of the proposed school infrastructure repair, which the Senate appears to eliminate in its bill.

While it is difficult to argue against school infrastructure repair and energy retro-fitting, the formula used in the House bill was extremely flawed (and that depicition is kind). Under the distribution formula used by the House, Minneapolis would receive nearly $26 million in construction money and St. Paul would receive nearly $21 million. Anoka-Hennepin, the largest school district in the state, would receive less than $4 million. Huh? Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan would receive less than $1 million. South Washington County would receive less than $500,000. Stated mildly, the formula--roughly based on free-and-reduced price lunch and other Title I indicators--used in the House legislation is a travesty.
The conference committee on the stimulus legislation will likely be rather abrupt and come to a quick resolution and final numbers on the bill should be available early next week if the Administration's timeline of passage by mid-February is met.

The best comparison of the House and Senate packages was in today's StarTribune.


Speaking of the StarTribune. The StarTribune has really done a great job covering education policy this year and had another solid story in this morning's Sunday paper. Today's story concentrated on budget cutting going on in East Metro school districts, including SEE members Forest Lake, South Washington County, and White Bear Lake.


Senate






























House




































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Friday, February 06, 2009

When You're Talking About the Labor Day Start, It's Always Labor. The House K-12 Policy and Oversight Committee conducted its annual discussion of the Labor Day start on Thursday morning. Representative Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester), shown on the right, has two bills dealing with the Labor Day start, one which eliminates it and the other that gives districts a two-year exemption and authorizes a study of the economic effects of allowing school districts to start prior to Labor Day.

The discussion took its usual course, with both sides making their respective cases. Schools argue that given the need for greater levels of student contact and the desire to end school earlier in the year to provide for an earlier start to summer school, starting school before Labor Day is warranted. Further, school districts believe that the state's dictation of a "no earlier than" starting date is a usurpation of local control by the state and that school districts should be able to follow the wishes of their communities in the determination of the school starting date.

The resort industry (along with the State Fair) argue that starting school before Labor Day would cause a crimp in their business and during times of economic downturn, a number of resorts' bottom lines could be adversely affected to a fatal extent if current law--which prevents schools from opening before Labor Day without specific legislative authority--were repealed. Shown at the left is a representative of the family-owned resort industry who spoke with passion regarding his assertion that the bill would have a negative effect on the resort and tourism industries. Representative Norton stands at his right while additional lobbyists whose organizations oppose the bill wait to testify.

The bill--which calls for a two-year exemption from the pre-Labor Day start prohibition and commissions a study--passed the committee on a voice vote and will now head to the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division. That division is chaired by Representative Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) and the bill will be scrutinized closely there.

I will keep you posted.

Remember Betty McCollum Event on Monday. Just another reminder that AMSD has been kind enough to invited all education interests to attend the forum with Betty McCollum that they will be hosting on Monday, February 9. The event runs from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM in the Grand Hall at the TIES Building located at 1667 North Snelling Avenue (the southwest corner of Snelling and Larpenteur).
With all of the hubbub regarding the proposed stimulus package, Representative McCollum is in a position to give up-to-the-minute information regarding the House's bill and things that may be happening in the Senate. The Senate appears to be poised to chop the IDEA and Title I money contained in the House version of the bill out of the Senate position, which will make the conference committee proceedings very interesting.
This is your opportunity to hear pertinent information firsthand on federal legislation firsthand and we don't get that opportunity very often. RSVP to AMSD at 651-999-7325 or e-mail ldale@amsd.org.
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Type III Bill Clears First Hurdle in House. HF 116, authored by Representative John Ward (D-Brainerd), passed the House Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division on Wednesday on a voice vote. Similar to the discussion in the Senate for its companion bill, questions and comments on HF 116 centered on the problems created by the Department of Public Safety's interpretation of the Type III restrictions passed last session and how these revisions will remedy those problems.

As the bill stands now, all teachers, coaches, and other school district personnel will be exempt from a pre-service drug test and a physical. Some concerns have been expressed that this erodes some of the progress made in terms of assuring student transportation safety. The crux of the matter is, however, that HF 116 is a sensible compromise that keeps students in vehicles driven by adults--as opposed to students driving their own cars to events--who have some level of training. Here's hoping the bill's progress continues and that it can be passed in time for the spring sports' seasons.

House Property and Local Sales Tax Division Meets, Discusses Governor's Property Tax Plans. I testified today in the House Property and Local Sales Tax Division meeting, voicing concern over the Governor's decision to cut local government aid and several other property tax reduction mechanisms.

I was the only school-related testifier and in the room amongst those who follow the committee far more closely than the education groups, I could tell there was a bit of surprise that I bothered to testify. But, as every SEE member knows, what happens in one section of the property tax system invariably has an effect on other parts of the system. In other words, in property tax sensitive school districts (like SEE members), rising property taxes for cities or counties often have an adverse effect on the property tax situation for schools.

Local government aid (and other property tax reduction efforts) serves two basic purposes: (1) reducing property tax reliance within a taxing jurisdiction, and (2) equalizing property tax burdens between taxing jurisdictions. Both of these elements are important to SEE member districts, especially the second, as SEE members are relatively property poor and are at a property tax disadvantage compared to school districts with higher levels of property tax wealth.

That is the message I conveyed to the House Division this afternoon. I can understand the plight of the Governor as he tries to balance the state budget. It is important, however, that the Governor and his administration realize that pushing a greater portion of funding onto the property tax will have an uneven effect, as property taxpayers throughout the state will be faced with different increases as a result of those actions. More often than not, the uneven nature of the remedy adversely affects low property wealth districts, as taxpayers in those districts have to absorb a greater level of property tax effort because of lower values within the taxing jurisdiction.

I have no doubt that property taxes will increase in the year ahead. A number of school districts need to renew levies and will probably attempt to incorporate increases into those levies. It will be diificult to rectify the changes that will need to be made in the human services area without some property tax increases. And cuts in local government aid for the current year will get levied back for taxes payable in 2010 on a one-time basis. That clearly indicates that a property tax increase is in the offing.

I will keep you posted on how the property tax issue unfolds as the session moves forward. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have in regard to the Governor's property tax policy.
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Q-Comp Report Released. The Office of the Legislative Auditor released its highly-anticipated report on Q-Comp today and presented it in both the Senate and House K-12 Funding Divisions. Legislative Auditor James Nobles and Evaluation Manager Judy Randall, pictured on the right, presented the report with their usual professionalism and the findings, while not surprising, were quite firmly stated.




The report, while I would say written in a tone that appreciates the difficulty in establishing and implementing this progam, does make several key points that show, if not shortcomings, questions about how the program has progressed.



The key findings are:
  • Q-Comp's effects on student achievement cannot be measured using existing tools,
  • MDE's application process is inconsistent as applicants are often held to different standards, and,
  • Not all Q-Comp participants are subject to regular oversight by MDE.
I would venture that these findings are consistent with the observation of most SEE member districts. We have all heard the rumors of inconsistent qualification standards and how different districts submitting similar applications met with different fates in terms of being accepted by MDE.



One of the key points brought up in the Senate was the absence of equity in the program, as the balance between metropolitan and rural districts (at least the number of students served in Q-Comp districts) is heavily tilted toward the metropolitan area. This is hardly rocket science and it was one of the complaints I registered early in the Q-Comp discussion. Districts that have the administrative staff to dedicate to developing the program and the resources to put teachers on leave to design the new pay scale and work to have it implemented will probably be able to both put together a successful application and make that successful application work more ably than a district lacking those resources. Duh!

Link to Legislative Auditor's Report on Q-Comp: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/2009/qcomp.htm

AMSD Hosting Forum with Congresswoman Betty McCollum. AMSD will be hosting a 90-minute forum with Congresswoman Betty McCollum on Monday, February 9, from 11:00 to 12:30 in the Great Hall of the TIES Building at 1667 Snelling Avenue (the southwest corner of Larpenteur and Snelling just North of the State Fairgrounds). There is a lot of chatter about the education funding in the federal stimulus package and Congresswoman McCollum serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Budget Subcommittee, all of which were instrumental in designing the stimulus package.

This forum will provide interested parties with the opportunity to get clarity on the education provisions in the bill.

Please call 651-999-7325 or e-mail ldale@amsd.org to RSVP if you are interested in attending.
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Monday, February 02, 2009

Field Trip. I hope the speaker (me) was as interesting as the audience (Ms. Heather Loeschke's AP Social Studies class pictured at right) was impressive to me as I headed back to my original alma mater--Cannon Falls High School--to give a presentation on lobbying as part of their discussion on how interests interplay in the democratic system. This is one impressive class. Not only are they working hard with AP Social Studies, this class also comprises the Minnesota state championship "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" team.

"We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" is a national competition that tests teams on their knowledge of the United States Constitution. This year's questions included everything from the philosophical basis of the United States Constitution to the challenges facing our constitutional democracy in the 21st century. As state champions, Ms. Loeschke's team will head to Arlington, Virgina, for the national competition from April 25th through April 27th.

Good luck Bombers!

Interesting Bill. Senator Joe Gimse (R-Willmar) has introduced SF 287, a bill that would take $100 million from various transit funds and dedicate those revenues to pupil transportation throughout the state. The companion House bill is HF 430 authored by Representative Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield).

Whatever one thinks about this bill (I believe the bill merits serious consideration), it certainly heeds to call to think "outside the box." There can be little doubt that transportation costs continue to bedevil school budgets. Further, the roller coaster nature of fuel prices over the past two years have made it extremely difficult for school districts to make any kind of reasonable budget projection for these expenditures.

Much of this problem has been exacerbated, in my estimation, by the 1995 decision to roll the transporation formula. That decision has pitted transportation costs against classroom costs, usually at the expense of transportation. Greater flexibility and transparency were among the reasons cited when the decision to fold the bulk of the transportation formula into the general fund in 1995, but I would argue that the opposite has been the case in regard to both of those qualities.

Over the past decade, there have been several instances when there was little, or no, increase in the revenue provided to school districts. This has tightened the supply-to-demand ratio in terms of revenue and has, as a result, constricted flexibility as there are competing programs for the same pot of money. Under the old system, transportation costs were protected and district needs met.

Further, I would argue that there is less transparency. Under the previous system, there was a categorial revenue formula that generated--albeit through a rather complicated formua--revenue for a specific purpose. Under the new system, transportation revenue is lumped with the revenue from other formulas into the general fund. In an abstract sense, I suppose there is greater transparency in that all decisions are now the result of school board action, but the genesis and distribution of the revenue is less transparent as there is no "straight line" of purpose and revenue.

Whatever the final result of this discussion, Senator Gimse and Representative Demmer deserve recognition for taking a bold step toward addressing school district transportation needs.

SF 287 Status Page: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=Senate&search=basic&session=0862009&location=Senate&bill=287&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=

HF 430 Status Page: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=House&search=basic&session=0862009&location=House&bill=430&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=

Press Conference Link: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/media/media_list.php?ls=86&archive_year=2009&category=updatespress&type=video#header
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Sunday, February 01, 2009

Yes, Even on a Sunday. The song "Never on Sunday" (the Oscar-winning song in 1960 recorded later by Connie Francis) doesn't mention anything about blogging, so I feel free to blog a bit during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

There must be something going on with education funding and policy these days, because the Sunday Star Tribune had two education-related stories. The lead story in Sunday's paper deals with the Governor's proposal to expand Q-comp to all districts. I was a bit surprised by some of the comments in the story, but the article does get to the heart of the issue with the proposal.

Q-Comp Story: http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/38755677.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUs

The front page of the Metro section featured a story regarding the federal stimulus package and how districts may use revenue generated by that package. 3 SEE member districts--White Bear Lake, Forest Lake, and South Washington County--provide examples for the story. The story mainly focuses on the facilities portion of that proposed legislation, but comments are also provided regarding the Title I and special education increases.

School District Reactions to Federal Stimulus Story: http://www.startribune.com/local/east/38760882.html?elr=KArksUUUU

I found both of these stories useful in describing what is happening in conjunction with education policy and funding proposals thus far this year and I hope we continue to get this type of coverage throughout the session.

Great Hearings Last Week. Kudos to House K-12 Education Policy Chair Carlos Mariani (D-St. Paul) for setting up two great informational meetings in his committee last week. The subject was testing policy, with special attention given to the GRAD test. The witnesses were great, ranging from MDE Commissioner Alice Seagren to district testing directors to University of Minnesota professors. A number of viewpoints were expressed and the discussion really centered around the value of a high-stakes graduation tests.

Professors from the University of Minnesota again provided solid testimony. Dr. John Warren testified regarding the value of high-stakes test on Wednesday and Dr. Stuart Yeh did a great job on Thursday describing how "rapid assessment" is more effective than a number of other education quality initiatives, including the high-stakes tests, in contributing to student achievement.

Below is the link for the video of both hearings. I will post video of other hearings that are taped.

House K-12 Education Policy 1/28 and 1/29 Video Links: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesCOMM.asp?comm=86138&ls_year=86
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Saturday, January 31, 2009

A Week's Worth O' Bills. Here are the bills introduced in the House and Senate on Monday, January 26, and Thursday, January 29.

Senate


























House












Deadlines Set: It may seem like minutae, but the legislative deadlines often play a huge role in how the business of the legislature unfolds, especially near the end of session. This year, with the major budget challenges facing the state, the deadlines will likely take on even greater importance.

The deadlines are as follows:

First Deadline--Friday, March 27: Last day for policy committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin (in English, last day for Senate policy committees to act on Senate Files and House policy committees to act on House Files).

Second Deadline--Tuesday, April 7: Last day for policy committees in either body to act favorably on bills or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other house (in English, House policy committee may act upon HF XX if SF YY met the first deadline in the Senate).

Third Deadline--Thursday, April 16: Last day for House and Senate budget divisions to act favorably on omniubs education funding bills (This is the one the education community watches most closely, as Senator Stumpf and Representative Greiling will have to have the omnibus K-12 bills out of their divisions no later than this day).

Fourth Deadline--Wednesday, April 22: Last day for Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee to act favorably on an omnibus appropriations and tax bills.

Fifth Deadline--Thursday, May 7: Conference committee reports on omnibus appropriations and tax bills must be reported to the floor. This is new for this year and will give the Legislature nine working days to pass their major funding and tax bills and send them to the Governor for signature or veto.



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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Budget Released. The Governor released his budget for the next two years and I can honestly say that I was expecting it to be more . . . well, harsh. Not to say that this is a friendly document, but slighltly under half of the needed $4.8 correction comes in the form of direct cuts. The remaining revenue comes from other one-time adjustments including $1.3 billion in payment and property tax recognition shifts in the education budget and the federal revenue coming to the state through the federal economic stimulus package (estimated at $920 million).

The surprising part of the budget--and a pleasant surprise it is--is the increase in K-12 spending contained in the bill. Of course, these gains are balanced by the short-term borrowing costs that will result from the changes in the payment and property tax recognition timelines and the elimination of the $51/PU in one-time money passed last session and the $55/PU in technology aid passed during the 2007 session that was appropriated the past two school years.

The Governor's budget contains two revenue enhancement programs for school districts. The first requires all districts to submit an application for the Q-Comp program, which is increased from $260/PU to $300/PU. Under the Governor's proposal, all districts would have to develop a plan and submit it to MDE for approval. Then there's the tricky part. MDE is not required to approve the application and the teachers in the district can vote not to participate. In other words, the only mandatory part of mandatory Q-comp is putting together the application.

I generally agree with the concept of Q-comp. Steps and lanes are a somewhat antiquated way of paying employees and there are inherent costs that have to be absorbed whether or not the district has revenue growth. Q-comp gets away from that somewhat and I have always supported the staff development component of Q-comp as well.

But the way the system is applied is troublesome. Not every school district has the personnel in place to dedicate the person hours necessary to put together a well-reasoned and comprehensive Q-Comp plan. Cuts to MDE staff haven't helped matters in this regard.

With the Legislator's Auditor's report on the educational effectiveness of districts with Q-comp out soon, there will be yet another set of data to inject into the discussion.

The other portion of the Governor's recommendation that would bring revenue to school districts is his "pay for performance" provision that would reward schools for students making at least one year of progress--1% of the basic formula per student making one year of progress, and 2% of the basic formula per student making more than one year of progress--every academic year. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the six-box growth model grid that MDE uses to map district progress, but the simple explanation is that districts will receive funding for students in four of the six boxes. The only students not receiving increased funding would be those making less than one year of progress during an academic year.

One part of the budget that hasn't been talked about a whole lot is the special education formula. There is no change in the funding mechanism, which means that once again costs will outpace the growth factor, which at least was not eliminated. But further prorations will result and the cross-subsidy will once again grow.

Main Budget Page: http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/fin/budget

Education Budget Document: http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/budget/narratives/gov/education.pdf

Federal Stimulus Package Moving. The federal stimulus package passed the US House on Wednesday evening and will now head to the Senate, where it will meet approval within the next week or so. There will likely be changes that will force a conference committee, but it appears that the President's goal of having the bill passed and signed by mid-February will be met.

As I have written previously, there is a nice chunk of federal money for education in the bill. I found out today that there is language in the bill that would allow states to apply for a waiver that would allow school districts to use this increased special education revenue to address cross-subsidy issues. Currently, 50% of any increase in federal revenue can be used to address state formula cross-subsidies. If Minnesota would request a waiver that would loosen this control and that waiver were granted, more revenue could be dedicated to protecting school districts' general funds.

I will keep you posted of the progress of the federal stimulus package and how state policy makers are reacting to the measure.
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Monday, January 26, 2009

Budget Day Tomorrow. Tomorrow the abstract becomes concrete as Governor will release his budget. As has been amply reported, the state is approximately $5 billion behind where it needs to be if it wants to maintain spending at the $37 billion current law amount. The Governor has stated that he only plans on calling for spending of $32 billion so as to avoid proposing any state tax increases.

Tomorrow, the rhetorical fog lifts and we all see the first iteration of the state budget for the next biennium as it rolls out in a series of specific budget proposals that will undoubtedly be sparse (at least by most definitions) and controversial. Legislative reaction to the Governor's statements leading up to the release of the budget have been surprisingly muted. Everyone--both in the Administration and the Legislature--has been uttering the word "bipartisan" with an amazing amount of regularity. How long bipartisanship remains the zeitgeist of the session is anyone's guess at this juncture, but I don't expect legislative reaction to the Governor's proposed budget to be incendiary right out of the gate.

The excitement surrounding the release of the budget is almost enough to inspire poetry. Something like,

'Twas the night 'fore the budget
And all through the state,
Government programs
Awaited their fate.

Lobbyists lurked
In their usual style
With interested legislators
All on speed dial.

I was on my computer
While answering my phone
When I was distracted
By a blood curdling groan.

And what to my wondering eyes
Should I see, it's hizzoner
Governor Pawlenty and
His slate of commissioners

"On Seagren! On Campion!
On Hanson!" And more.
He shouted quite loudly
As he came through the door.

Armed with computer runs
And some Powerpoint slides
The Governor hit the podium
With a spring in his strides.

"Listen," he started,
Then eloquently did wax
"We'll balance this budget
Without raising a tax!"

Now the Speaker retorted,
"This could be a killer."
And she then turned to
Senator Pogemiller.

And this is the end
Of the tale to this point.
The poet would continue,
But fears he'd disappoint.

He could easily ramble
Further on with this ditty,
But he's run out of rhymes
And his meter's quite. . .uh, sugary.

But you needn't worry.
He'll finish this digression.
Sometime in November
During the third special session.

Apologies to Clement Clark Moore and all of the powerful people upon whom my livelihood rests featured in this poem.

Interesting Hearing Today. The House K-12 Budget Division and the House Tax Committee held a joint hearing today to discuss the property tax ramifications of the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPED) bonding legislation passed during the 2008 legislative session. The total levy increase resulting from the passage of this provision is approximately $24 million, about twice of what was estimated during the 2008 session. 33 districts have utilized this bonding provision.

It's not that this provision hasn't been helpful to a large number of districts or that it is wrong-headed, but there are real questions of equity, exacerbated by the fact that this, again, is another unequalized levy. In other words, there are districts that don't offer these benefits (an equity issue for staff in those districts) and differential levels of property wealth in these districts. In other words, unlike multiplication, where two negatives make a positive, this is addition, where two negative numbers put together result in a larger negative.

There probably won't be many changes to this language this year, but this will be provision to watch in the future, especially if it grows significantly.

Bill Introductions. Here are the bill introductions from Thursday, January 22.



Senate

SF 153--Vandeveer--Repeal 2008 Green Acres Changes: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=Senate&search=basic&session=0862009&location=Senate&bill=153&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=

SF 172--Lynch--Removes staff development distribution restrictions: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=Senate&search=basic&session=0862009&location=Senate&bill=172&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=

SF 205--Sparks--Removes wind energy production tax from county apportionment: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=Senate&search=basic&session=0862009&location=Senate&bill=205&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=



House
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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thanks to Everyone. The SEE Legislative Kick-off was a rousing success. It was great to see a full house of SEE members and SEE area legislators. I heard a lot of positive comments after the meeting from members and legislators. My deepest thanks go out Deb Griffiths who worked tirelessly putting the program together and working with membership to devise a strategy to promote legislator attendance and all of the presenters--Deb Henton, Greg Vandal, and Pete Willcoxon. I thought the program provided the legislators present with a clear idea of what SEE is about and what our short- and long-term priorities are.

I had a message on my phone from Commissioner Alice Seagren explaining that she would not be able to attend(but alas, my cell phone was off (just like at the movies) and I didn't get the message until after the meeting was over. The Commissioner was in a meeting, as we did find out midway through our meeting, and sends her regrets. It would have been nice to have Commissioner Seagren there to describe some of the Governor's initiatives, but I am certain we will have a chance in the future to visit with her.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped with this morning's event.

Economy Getting Worse. The Minnesota Department of Management and Budget released its January update and unfortunately, things are getting worse. Revenue collections for November and December of 2008 were another $131 million below forecasted amounts. Whispers around the Capitol are that the budget deficit may shoot up to nearly $7 billion after all is said and done. This obviously makes the prospects of any new money in the coming biennium even more slim. The hill is getting steeper, but we must avoid going backwards in all of this. We need revenue (and flexibility) and we have to stay focused on our goal in the coming months.

MMB January Budget Update: http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/fu/09/update-jan09.pdf

Great Hearing This Afternoon. The House K-12 Budget Division heard from Dr. David Johnson, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota (and former Rockford School Board member) and faculty in that college about research that is being performed at the University of Minnesota and how that could prove helpful to the Legislature in its work.


Joining Dr. Johnson were Drs. Jennifer McComas, Kyla Wahlstrom, Kay Hertig Wahl, and Stuart S. Yeh. Each of these professors outlined research projects they had completed and provided concrete examples of how this research could be of considerable assistance to staff and learners in the state's elementary and secondary schools.

The University is coming forward with a proposed Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Education and Human Development to assist school districts in developing programs and testing learning strategies. There are, or will be, several other proposed research centers discussed in the coming session, as continued cuts in the Minnesota Department of Education has made it increasingly difficult for them to perform research operations. Further, since the Education Commissioner has become a gubernatorial appointment, legislative trust in the agency has diminished and by extension, the education field throughout the state has viewed the agency as being as much a political as professional body.

While this view is somewhat unfair to the great personnel at MDE, there can be no denying that the research and development mission of the department have been compromised over the past two decades. It's unfortunate that a new research arm may need to be created, but it is probably for the best that a new initiative for these purposes be developed rather than grafting these responsibilities onto the current MDE framework.

The innovation section of HF 2 (the PS Minnesota bill) isn't talked about a whole lot, but if a considerable amount of new revenue is invested into the education funding system, it is likely that policymakers will want to make certain that there is some measure of strategy accompanying the investment. I will keep SEE membership posted on progress in this area throughout the session.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Light Schedule Today. The only two hearings of pertinance to the education community at the Capitol today were held in the House of Representatives, where both the House K-12 Education Policy Committee and the House K-12 Funding Division met. The House K-12 Policy Committee took testimony from education groups on their policy goals for the 2009 Session. The House K-12 Funding Division took testimony from the Minnesota Department of Education on their priorities for the coming session. A lot of very good information, but more in the vein of outlining the parameters of the discussion that will take place this year as opposed to anything substantive. That's going to change a lot next week when the Governors budget was announced.

Interesting Proposal. Former Minnesota Revenue Commissioner (and Independence Party Candidate for Attorney General in 2006) John James sent me a comprehensive state budget proposal he has developed and I must say it looks very interesting. It's about 60 pages long and contains some interesting proposals for the funding of education, much of it in the same vein as what is proposed by PS Minnesota. I hope to either post the document on the SEE web page or provide all of you with a copy.

John James is one of the brighter policy minds in the state and anything he develops is worth studying closely.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Witnesses to History. It was truly moving to observe the inauguration of President Obama today. Watching the event, I was impressed with his acceptance speech. I'll admit it
took me a bit by surprise as it didn't soar to the extent that a number of his campaign speeches did. Instead, it had a quiet gravitas befitting the occasion. I was impressed how in 18 minutes Obama covered a whole range of issues, both foreign and domestic.



Another impressive aspect of the speech is how it evoked the entire spectrum of American history and posed this moment as another point, albeit an important point, on this arc. He cited Washington and Lincoln specifically, but it seemed as though he got the flavor of just about every President, save for Franklin Pierce and Warren G. Harding, in his comments. He also, at least according to my fuzzy memory, the first President to mention the Viet Nam war in his inaugural address as he cited the battle of Khe Sanh in praising the sacrifice of veterans.



In my estimation, Obama accurately posited the challenge before the nation. He outlined both the promise of community while not following the one-time conventional liberal line that government is the answer of first resort. The tone set was one of hope, shared sacrifice, and a recognition that a new set of tenets may govern our lives as we move into the next stretch of American history.



Former Dean at the Humphrey Institute Harlan Cleveland once said something to the effect that we need "less government and more governance." Obama's remarks seemed to echo that sentiment as we seek to establish a new social contract where all are included and respected without having to resort to government action to ensure that goal. Tall order indeed, but perhaps the country is ready for this.



Testimony in House K-12 Funding Division. The inauguration festivities didn't bring legislative action to a screeching halt. Representative Mindy Greiling's House K-12 Funding Division met this afternoon and took testimony from a number of education interests regarding their priorities for the session ahead. SEE was obviously included in the slate of testifiers.



I was joined by Rockford School Board chair Gordy Thomas and we both testified on the SEE platform and the need for greater equalization. Of course, HF 2--the new Minnesota Miracle--is at the top of SEE's priorities for 2009 and although sufficient revenue will not be in place to fully implement that bill, it is extremely important that the Legislature consider laying the groundwork for a new formula that provides both the funding adequacy and equitable distribution of that funding needed to ensure that all students throughout Minnesota have access to a high-quality education.



Gordy provided solid examples of how Rockford's situation mirrors a large segment of the state's school districts in their inability to pass a referendum levy. It was great to have him along to help drive home the point that the lag in updating the equalization factor to match the growth in property values has had an adverse effect on low-property wealth districts. I encourage any district interested in testifying to let me know. It certainly helps our cause to have member districts describe their exact situation to the Legislature. I can provide abstract depictions of the challenges faced by member districts, but the member districts themselves can paint a much more vivid and concise description of them.



News from the Potomoc. The inauguration wasn't the only big news coming out of Washington. The proposed education funding allocations contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill have been posted on th.e website for the House Education and Welfare Committee. Simply hit the Minnesota link at the following link and you will be taken to a spread sheet (that prints on 11 x 17 paper) showing an estimated amount each Minnesota school district would receive under the bill in its current configuration.



One big question that needs to be considered is how the special education revenue will be treated. As many of you are aware, federal special education revenue must be used to "supplement" and not "supplant" state special education revenue. Translated, that provision of federal law means that you have to "buy new stuff" with increased revenue as opposed to "paying for existing commitments" with the money. Hopefully, we will be able to garner a one-time variance for this revenue so that the current, and growing, special education cross-subsidy can be addressed with this money.

House Education and Welfare Committee Spreadsheet: http://edlabor.house.gov/selected-allocations-for-school-districts-under-the-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-bill/index.shtml
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