Caught Up (with Bill Introductions at Least).

Education-Related Bill Introductions from Monday, January 28.

Senate

SF 505 (Rosen)--Expands definition of extended time revenue to include students taking career and technical courses.

SF 506 (Rosen)--Allows districts to use long term facilities maintenance revenue for building demolition and debris removal.

SF 507 (Wiger)--Increases funding for Area Learning Centers.

SF 508 (Torres Ray)--Requires school districts to develop a recess policy for elementary school students.

SF 521 (Tomassoni)--Appropriates money for a collaborative summer intensive program.

SF 531 (Wiger)--Increases special education funding.

SF 580 (Eichorn)--Modifies calculation of nonpublic pupil aid.

SF 616 (Newton)--Creates post-secondary enrollment options incentive aid and enhances reimbursement for materials purchased as part of post-secondary enrollment options.

SF 617 (Newton)--Appropriates revenue based on general fund forecast to the permanent school fund for certain land sales.

House

HF 379 (Gunther)--Expands definition of shared time students.

HF 428 (Gruenhagen)--Modifies definition of a textbook.

HF 431 (Albright)--Authorizes fire drills for schools and education institutions.

HF 438 (Quam)--Amends the definition of public employee to include replacement employees who are employed for more than 60 days as a replacement teacher or faculty member.

HF 448 (Her)--Increases funding for English Learner programs.

HF 470 (Gruenhagen)-- Authorizes certain nonpublic students in grade 10 to participate in career and technical courses offered through the post-secondary enrollment options program.

HF 482 (Swedzinski)--Creates choice scholarships for students who have dropped out of high school.

Hearing Update.  The Senate cancelled all hearings, but the two education-related committees did meet and both had interesting presentations.  Newly-appointed Commissioner of Education Mary Catherine Ricker appeared at the Education Funding Division in the morning and at the Education Policy Committee in the afternoon.  After hearing from Commissioner Ricker, the Funding Division turned to the issue of special education with a presentation by Dr. Tom Melcher and Paul Ferrin from the Minnesota Department of Education.  Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte also chimed in a junctures to respond to questions from the committee.  Below is a link to the MDE presentation, which outlines a lot of statistics surrounding the special education issues.

MDE Special Education Presentation--January 30, 2019

The Education Policy Committee heard from MDE's Future Assessment Design Working Group and also heard Representative Peggy Bennett's HF 125, a bill that would require the work of grant recipients to be measured for effectiveness.  Seeing that there are a number of grant requests each year, it is easy to see why the Legislature wants to look at the programs of those seeking to renew grant funding to make certain value is being delivered.  An amendment was added in committee to exempt grants paid for with federal dollars.  After adoption of the amendment, the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a later omnibus bill.

Here is a link to HF 125:  HF 125