The Governor finished his State of the State Address about an hour ago and there is a lot in it regarding education. While I haven't seen the details, he did mention the following elements:

• A 2% increase in the basic formula for all school districts.
• A possibility that school districts could earn up to 2% more on the basic formula if they meet performance criteria.
• $75 million for high school restructuring.
• Greater investment in technology.

I will provide more details after I see a copy of the speech.

Greg Vandal, Scott Croonquist, Sam Walseth, Jim Grathwol, and I finished two days (3 hours) of testimony on PS Minnesota in the Senate E-12 Funding Division this morning. The members of the division asked a number of probing questions, but I believe that there is interest in the proposal. We will continue to talk with legislative leadership regarding PS Minnesota and I believe that it will be discussed throughout the session. Hopefully, this discussion will produce the level of investment necessary to go further down the road of reform and the quest for adequate funding.

Always feel free to leave comments on the page. This could be a great place to pose questions and elicit discussion on the various proposals coming forward this session.