Legislative Passes COVID-19 Response Bill.  If you live long enough, you'll see just about anything and what I witnessed today was unprecedented in the 44 years I've been around the Legislature.  I've seen sessions held in makeshift facilities because of the Capitol restoration.  I've seen six special sessions over a two year period.  But what happened today with the passage of HF 4531 was much different and, given the circumstances, pretty amazing.  Due to spread of COVID-19, the both houses of the Legislature observed social distancing guidelines, with legislators voting in shifts or remotely.  The $330 million bill largely concentrates on the health and human services sector, with $200,000 dedicated to the COVID-19 fund which is established to "protect Minnesota citizens" and "maintain state government operations" during the peacetime emergency period.  Expenditures and transfers from the fund will be governed by a legislative task force comprised of ten legislators (five from the Senate and five from the House) that will approve, reject, or take no action on proposals made by the Administration.  A negative decision by the task force prevents the revenue in the proposal from being expended or transferred.

Other items that are included in the bill are:

• $40 million for the Department of Energy and Economic Development for business assistance.
• $71 million for the Department of Human Services for a variety of programs ($30.0 million for emergency childcare, $26.5 million for assistance to the homeless population, $9.0 million for food shelves, and $5.5 million for housing).
• $11 million for Minnesota's Native American tribal governments.

The final votes on the bill were 67-0 in the Senate and 99-4 in the House.  Even with the lop-sided votes, there were concerns over how the bill was constructed, as circumstances dictated a decision-making process where it was impossible to incorporate the traditional committee process and substantial input from the community.

One issue that was not addressed by today's bill is that of education.  The House has been working on an amendment that would assure hourly and contract employees--who have been on the front lines in helping provide childcare and helping districts prepare for distance learning--will be paid during the distance learning period along with a number of provisions that would make certain school district funding is stable, but the education issue was not included in today's legislation, leaving a number of key funding issues up in the air for the time being.  Schools have been (and will be facing) a number of difficult challenges as reaction to the pandemic continues and some level of certainty surrounding the funding issue will be crucial.

MDE Resources.  I know many of you are participating in the superintendents' calls and getting up-to-date answers on many of the emerging issues that will be in front of schools as they sail into these uncharted waters.  Here is a link to MDE's COVID-19 resource page:  MDE COVID-19 Updates.  Answers on the various issue areas can be found in the column on the left hand margin.  An area that bears close scrutiny is that of special education, which is complicated enough in the regular setting.  Issues surrounding student confidentiality and due process may be particularly thorny and today's update on the site includes guidance on a number of special education-related issues:  Special Education COVID-19 Resources

My Moment on the Soapbox.

As the state embarks on its voyage into distance learning next Monday, I am reminded of how many times decision-makers have been reminded of how Minnesota's commitment to broadband accessibility has yet to reach all corners of the state.  There have been efforts to improve connectivity throughout the state, but there are so many communities (and some of these communities aren't geographically remote and within an hour of the metropolitan area) where digital access is extremely limited.  In a number of these communities, the school is the place where access is assured and the strongest, but guess what?  School buildings are now closed and many students working from home don't have reliable (in many cases, any) broadband service.  I fully understand the argument that cautions investment in a technology where rapid progress makes what appears sensible one day outdated the next, but too many Minnesota students still lack basic access to what will be the primary means of delivering educational services for the next month.