And the Bell has Rung! I'm posting this from my January through May "home away from home" in Room 315 of the State Capitol (I'm still trying to figure out why I can't get a homestead credit) and the discussion on the override of the Governor's veto of the transportation funding bill is underway. So far, it looks something like this.


Instead of fists flying, it's been rhetorical jabs and verbal uppercuts, but, at this point, both fighters are still standing and it looks like the fight will go the full 15 rounds. We're still in single figures on the speech count (which makes me wish that "rounds" of this type only lasted three minutes), so we are probably going to be here for a bit (he said sarcastically) longer. I should have more information as the day goes on and I will fill you in on the final results.

In This Corner!!!!!! Ladies and Gentlemen! Meine Dammen und Herren! Take your pick. Do you see this as . . .

Batman and Robin versus the Penguin?









Larry Henning and Handsome Harley Race (aka The Dolly Sisters) versus Andre the Giant?










Underdog and Sweet Polly versus Simon Bar Sinister?











Homer and Helper Monkey Mojo versus Ned Flanders?

"For what purpose have you put these seemingly unrelated pairings up, Lundell?" you are probably asking. "And what is 'this?'"

Look closely at each of the pictures on the left. They have two characters. And the picture on the right only has one character.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?!?" you are probably continuing to say. "Still not following. Madness is a terrible thing."

Okay, enough with the tortured analogy. Given the Governor's veto of the transportation bill, both houses of the Legislature will have to override the veto for it to become law. Both houses. As in two houses. Thus, the two characters on the left need to overwhelm the character on the right to get their way. (Boy, this sounded so much more clever when I was thinking about it this afternoon.)

So whether you see the Legislature as Homer and Helper Monkey Mojo or the Governor as Andre the Giant, in the next few days, either the one on the right or the two on the left are going to win--at least in the short term--on this issue.

Next week will be a crucial week at the Legislature. The decision will be made on this version of the transportation bill. The budget forecast will come out (and the numbers will be worse). And the first committee deadline is only three weeks, so bills are going to have to start flying through the policy committees in order to have a fighting chance of passing. In other words, after Friday, February 29, the direction of the Legislature may be pretty well set. So watch and listen closely. Okily-dokily?

See you all Monday! Have a great weekend and don't forget to write!

A Day Cut Short. Not much happened in the world of education at the Capitol Thursday as the transportation bill hit the floor of the House, canceling the afternoon hearing in the House K-12 Finance Division on the task force comparing Minnesota's special education rules and statutes to federal measures.

The House took up the omnibus transportation funding bill--HF 2800--in the early afternoon. Representative Bernie Lieder (DFL-Crookston), Chair of the House Transportation Finance Division and chief author of HF 2800 offered an amendment that scaled back the bill a bit, especially as it pertains to the metro-wide sales tax for transit. The Republicans offered a variety of amendments, both to Representative Lieder's amendment and the bill as a whole, with only one passing. The Lieder amendment passed on a vote of 98-34 and the bill passed on a final vote of 89-44. The final vote on the bill is one vote short of the number needed for a successful override of the Governor's promised veto. The Senate will be taking up the bill early next week where passage is assured, although the DFL will have to hold all of its members if an override attempt is made.

(LATE BREAKING EDIT: The Senate passed the transportation package on a vote of 47-20. The bill now goes to the Governor for an expected veto, setting up the first showdown of the 2008 legislative session.)

There were Education Hearings. The House E-12 Education Policy Committee met on Thursday morning and discussed three bills: HF 2982 (Bly): a bill that would create a five-year pilot program to measure effective learning strategies in charter schools and area learning centers; HF 3292 (Dittrich): the companion file to Senator Ann Lynch's SF 2811, which would set up a new management system for the public land that comprises property for the permanent school fund; and HF 3290 (S. Peterson): a bill that would provide revenue for kindergarten assessment and transition programs.

The Senate E-12 Budget Division featured a presentation by Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Alice Seagren (shown at right). Commissioner Seagren outlined the Governor's priorities for the coming session, principally the increased investment in training for math and science teachers. Other programs proposed by the Governor include: increased parental involvement, greater teacher recruitment, training, and accountability, and more technology in the classroom. It will be interesting to see how these proposals fare in the days ahead.

As stated earlier, the House K-12 Finance Division hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon was cancelled.

Superintendents Meet with Governor Pawlenty. Whoever said that the phrase "distinguished superintendent" is an oxymoron obviously never ran into a set of superintendents this impressive. MASA Executive Director Charlie Kyte and the pictured posse had the opportunity to meet with the Governor today to discuss education issues, both in terms of funding and programs. There were no reports that the Governor was limping noticeably as the day wore on. Pictured (from the left) are Charlie, Brad Meeks (Farmington), Ric "Lefty" Dressen (Edina), Dennis Peterson (Minnetonka), Susan Hintz (Osseo), Dan Brooks (Sauk Centre) and Tom Westerhaus (Prior Lake). Mark Bezek (Elk River) arrived just after this picture was snapped. Roger Giroux (Anoka-Hennepin) also attended the meeting.

Budget Forecast Due Out Next Week. The February revenue forecast will be released next week and early indications are that the dire budget picture is going to become even more dire, perhaps to the point of real budget pain (as if we weren't already there). I will let you know the where's and when's of the forecast as details become available.

Alliance Meeting. The Alliance for Student Achievement met on Thursday morning and a variety of items were discussed. The date for the annual Alliance Summit has been set for October 17, the Friday of the Education Minnesota conference. The Alliance will be teaming up with EM on facilities in an effort to get more distance out of its investment. The Alliance Summit has become an extremely valuable event for educators throughout the state and I am certain the presenters at the 2008 Summit will maintain the tradition of excellence.

The Alliance 2008 platform has been finalized and will be available on the Alliance for Student Achievement website within the next few days. The Alliance website can be found at: http://www.allianceforstudentachievement.org/

SEE Regional Meetings. The first in a series of five SEE regional meetings will be held in St. Cloud on Friday, February 29. If you haven't made arrangements to get to a regional meeting yet, please get your registration in. There will be a lot to talk about!

Bus Tragedy Claims Four in Cottonwood. You've undoubtedly seen the coverage in your local media, but I just wanted to chime in and express my deepest sympathy for the entire Cottonwood community and the Lakeview Public School District regarding the accident that claimed four lives yesterday in Southwestern Minnesota. It's times like these that remind us all that regardless of how safe school transportation is--and it is very safe--there are times when accidents involving school buses are going to involve fatalities. It is extremely rare for these fatalities to occur to the children riding on the bus, but it can and does happen.

School transportation safety was going to receive attention at the Capitol this session, largely due to another crash last fall that involved a van carrying a special education student in which the driver and the passenger both were killed. The Office of the Legislative Auditor's report on School District Transportation Study has been heard in both bodies and several bills dealing with transportation safety and other operational aspects have been introduced.

Much of the transportation safety discussion since has revolved around the qualifications and background checks for those who are driving Type III vehicles (vans and cars), whether in the case of a district-owned or contracted vehicle. Senator Rick Olseen (DFL-Harris) and Representative Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove) will be carrying legislation that will deal with the Type III issue. Senator Olseen's bill will be heard in the Senate Education Policy Committee on Monday, February 25, at 3:00 PM in Room 15 of the State Capitol.

This crash will almost certainly resurrect discussion of seat belts on school buses. Although the final report on the crash is months away and it is unclear whether or not seat belts would have provided meaningful protection to those students who died, the issue will surface. The views on seat belts are quite divergent, ranging from being a "must" to comprising an expensive and largely ineffective means of student protection. I will keep you in the loop as discussions on school bus safety take place.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lakeview community during this difficult time.

Coverage on crash in Marshall Independent: http://marshallindependent.com/index.asp

Bus Crash Photo Credit: AP

Dueling Librarians. The county and regional library systems faced off in the Senate Education Policy Committee today. Senator Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) has introduced SF 2821, which mandates that all libraries in Minnesota be provided access to the electronic library for Minnesota databases regardless of whether or not they belong to a regional library system. Needless to say, the regional library systems don't think this is a good idea and oppose the bill. The bill was recommended to pass on a divided voice vote and I can tell you this: Don't get tangled up in a feud among librarians. It looked like a scene right out of The Godfather (okay, I'm a little sarcastic today)!

Dangerous (or Potentially Dangerous) Dogs Revisited. After attending the hearing on the Dangerous Dog bill yesterday, I thought I better warn everybody to be on the look out for this extremely dangerous dog! This is Sunny (whom I periodically call "Budd Johnson" in honor of the legendary jazz saxophonist who was the subject of the Ben Webster song "Budd Johnson" which is available upon request), the latest addition to the Lundell household. As you can tell from this picture, he has the potential to be extremely dangerous! Look at those yellow eyes! We've had him for almost two weeks and he's getting the hang of housetraining, so next week, it's on to calculus and particle physics. I think he will be able to master those subjects provided he can bring his chew toys to class with him. If worse comes to worse this session, I may have to bring him to the Capitol for those last few late nights. No legislative ankle or pants-leg will be safe from this untamed beast! Of course, he's going to be going to obedience school soon and I don't know how well a tamed beast would do as a lobbyist.

A Chilling Report. Isabel Sawhill of The Brookings Institution and John E. Morton of The Pew Charitable Trust have written a very interesting, and troubling, report about upward mobility in the United States today. The report, "Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Mobility in America" points out how uneven access to high quality education in the United States today will likely have an adverse effect on upward mobility. On face value, this constitutes a "no kidding Sherlock" statement, but in an era where honing human capital has become in many ways more important than the preservation of physical capital, this report is another reminder of how we must invest more in education to ensure the system is both adequately and equitably funded. Doing less will only undermine an economy and society that is based on a foundation of a strong middle class.

Pioneer Press article on report: http://www.twincities.com/ci_8308561?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1

Report: http://www.economicmobility.org/reports_and_research/mobility_in_america

Bring Your Helmet. Tomorrow's House K-12 Finance Division promises to be an interesting and tense hearing, as the results of the task force appointed this summer to look at differences in Minnesota and federal special education laws and rules will be presented. This has been a very contentious process, as there have been a number of very close votes on the task force to determine how to proceed. Word has it is that the special education advocacy interests (parents and disability organizations) are extremely disappointed in how things turned out and will be descending en masse tomorrow to make the case why Minnesota has traditionally gone beyond federal law in serving special education populations and how the effort to scale back this tradition will put the economic progress of students with identified educational challenges at risk.

But going beyond federal law is only one of the frustrating issues in terms of the state's special education posture. What is more troubling is the Minnesota Department of Education's penchant for making rules when there has been no legislative authorization to do so. Further, the Department has used the complaint process and policy memorandums to establish statewide policy. This is simply wrong.

There may be valid reasons to exceed federal law in some instances, but I cannot think of a reason why the Department should be able to simply set rules without legislative direction. There may be times that the Legislature will require a nudge or input from the Department as to why rule-making authority is needed for a certain practice or program, but legislative approval should still be required before state special education regulations can be changed.

Not to be sardonic, but I already kid about having to take the "How a Bill Becomes a Law" page out of the 9th grade civics text. I don't want to have to urge the removal of the page on "Checks and Balances between the Branches of Government." The Legislature determines the "whats" of government policy. The Executive Branch, while having input (and plenty of it) in the development of those "whats," once the direction is set, must concern itself solely on the "hows" of implementing the prescribed programs and formulas to meet those goals.

So, if you want to witness an interesting legislative hearing, be in Room 5 of the State Office Building tomorrow at 2:15 PM. It may get a bit testy.

Another Busy Day. Session is only a week old and things are already poppin'. It was another full day of committee meetings with the Senate E-12 Funding Division joining the action with their first meeting of the year.

The day led off bright and early with the House Education Policy Committee meeting at 8:00 AM. The bulk of the committee's time was spent on the subject of early childhood education. The first bill up--HF 2983 (S. Peterson)--would establish an Office of Early Childhood Education. Two veritable Minnesota all-stars testified in favor of the bill. Pictured on the left are Dr. Art Rolnick, Vice-President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Representative Sandra Peterson (DFL-New Hope). Additional all-star testimony was provided by Dr. Karen Cadigan, Director of Outreach and Public Policy at the Center for Early Education and Development at University of Minnesota.

Concern was expressed that, in its original form, the bill would create a new level of bureaucracy that would impede educational progress and restrict parent choice. A major amendment to the bill offered by bill author Representative Peterson allayed many of those concerns and the bill was passed as amended and re-referred to the Early Childhood Learning Finance Division.

The House Education Policy Committee also heard the last reports from working groups that deliberated over the interim. In her report regarding the work of the K-12 Financing working group, Representative Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville) outlined the progress made on developing a comprehensive funding reform bill modeled after much of the work done by PS Minnesota. Although this bill will undoubtedly depart from the details contained in the PS Minnesota work, it will likely remain true to the basic framework outlined in that report.

The Senate E-12 Funding Division spent its time discussing bonding requests in the same manner as the House K-12 Funding Division did last week. Delegations from the Osseo School District and the Anoka-Hennepin School District were present to discuss proposals they have developed.

The House K-12 Finance Division met this afternoon and finalized their hearings on bonding proposals. Upon completion of bill presentations, division members were asked to rank the projects heard in the division and rank them in order of their individual priorities. The individual recommendations will be tallied to create the division's set of priorities that will be forwarded to the Capital Investment Finance Division. The Capital Investment Finance Division, chaired by Representative Alice Hausman (D-St. Paul) will assemble the House version of the 2008 bonding bill. At right, Representatives Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) and Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton) are working on their individual project priorities.

The day was not without its lighter moments. I ran into SEE superintendents Larry Peterson from Eden Valley-Watkins, Scott Staska from Rocori, and Scott Thielman during the day. As expected, they were working their legislators on a number of issues. At the left is Larry Peterson visiting with Representative Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City). I can assure you that Larry's arguments were not nearly as fuzzy as my picture of him is. It's always great to run into SEE member administrators and school board members at the Capitol, so don't hesitate to tell me if you are coming down.

In another highlight, I was early for the House K-12 Finance Division hearing and happened across the House Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee, where HF 2906 (Paymar) was being discussed. HF 2906 seeks to tighten up the regulation of dangerous dogs. Arguments were getting a bit hot as committee time ran out, so I guess one could say that the bill about dogfights turned into a bit of a dogfight.

Finally, as I was setting up a camera shot this morning, I accidentally snapped this one instead. The good news is, it's in focus. The bad news? It's my shoe. Catch you all tomorrow.

Happy President's Day. It sounds like yesterday was Vice-President's Day with speculation over who Senator McCain's choice will be for the second spot on his ticket with our Governor meriting considerable consideration among the coterie of cognoscenti who populate the Sunday morning opinion media. But enough speculation, let's get back to the indoor sport that has more of an immediate effect on our well-being: the 2008 Legislative Session.

President's Day may constitute a day off at the post office and the bank, but not at the Legislature, where there were both floor sessions and committee meetings. Two of these meetings were of note to the education community. The first of these meetings was the Senate Education Policy Committee, where three bills proposing changes to the permanent school fund were discussed. Pictured above is Senator Kathy Saltzman (flanked by Senator Sandy Rummel and Senate staff member Eric Nauman), who got the opportunity to chair the committee while Chairman Wiger presented two of the three bills before the panel

First, a little history of the Permanent School Fund. The basis of the Permanent School Fund comes from the General Land Ordinance of 1785 Uniform Survey System, when sections of each township were granted to the township for purposes of education. In Minnesota, these sections were numbers 16 and 36 in each township (there are 36 sections to a township--6 x 6). The land is granted to the states with 5% of land sales going into a trust fund. The state then plays the role of the trustee. In Minnesota, the trust fund lands are managed by the State Board of Investment. Revenue for the land go into the Permanent School Fund. The fund is not spent, but the interest generated is on-going revenue for school districts throughout Minnesota.

However, this generates no new money for Minnesota school districts. Instead, the interest revenue is distributed to school districts as part of the general education basic amount and a corresponding amount is subtracted from the state general fund investment toward the general education basic formula. In other words, the permanent school fund revenue sent to schools reduces the amount coming from the state general fund.

Three bills before the Legislature seek to make interest revenue generated from the Permanent School Fund an addition to school funding instead of a general fund offset. These bills are SF 2392 (Wiger)/HF 2973 (Dittrich), SF 2422 (Wiger)/HF 2975 (Dittrich), and SF 2811 (Lynch)/No House Companion.

SF 2392/HF 2973 would remove the revenue subtraction and make the revenue generated from management of the Permanent School Fund additional revenue for districts and dedicate the new funding to technology. SF 2422/HF 2975 would eliminate the Permanent School Fund subtraction with no revenue dedication. Instead, revenue would go to districts without any strings. SF 2811 would replace management of the Permanent School Fund by the State Board of Investment with a newly-established board to provide accountability and oversight.

Pictured at the left testifying in favor of these changes are (from left to right) MSBA lobbyist Grace Schwab, International Falls Superintendent and Permanent School Fund Advisory Task Force member Don Langan, and Senator Chuck Wiger, the author of SFs 2392 and 2422. Final action was not taken during Monday's hearing, but this will likely be discussed throughout the session and may be a way for school districts to receive additional revenue, though probably not in time for the next school year. The language and status of these measures can be obtained at the following links:

SF 2392/HF 2973: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=Senate&f=SF2392&ssn=0&y=2008

SF 2422/HF 2975: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=Senate&search=basic&session=0852007&location=Senate&bill=2422&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&submit_bill=GO&keyword_type=any&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&titleword=

SF 2811:
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=Senate&f=SF2811&ssn=0&y=2008

These measures are ones that merit our support as we move through this session. There were a number of valuable handouts distributed at the hearing and I will try to find a way to get them into your hands so that you can use them when working with your legislators.

The House Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division chaired by Representative Mary Murphy heard two reports from the Office of the Legislative Auditor this afternoon. The first was on the JOBZ program and the second on Student Transportation Safety.

The report on School District Student Transportation highlights a number of areas where the Legislative Auditor believes there are shortcomings in the current system. Many of these shortcomings fall with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Minnesota Department of Education, but school districts undergo considerable scrutiny in the report as well.

The area of school district operations that will likely receive the most attention in the session ahead is that of drivers of Type III vehicles (vans and cars). Type III drivers are largely unregulated under the current system and a number of new requirements for these drivers will be discussed and it is my expectation that some of these requirements will be enacted.

Text of the School District Student Transportation Report can be read and/or downloaded at:
http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/2008/studenttrans.htm

One item in the report not directly related to student safety, but interesting nonetheless is the approximately $40 million gap statewide between school district transportation expenditures and school district transportation revenue. In other words, if you can't readily charge fees or pass a referendum for transportation costs, you are probably in the soup. Food, or I guess soup, for thought.

Wrapping Up Week #1. The week came to a quiet end, as most legislators took the opportunity to duck out of town after Thursday's proceedings. That is probably the last time they are going to get to do that, as the schedule is going to ramp up next week. The first committee deadline is a mere month away, meaning some committees will have only eight meetings before then.

The week ended with an interesting meeting in the House Property Tax Relief and Local Sales Tax Division, where the Office of the Legislative Auditor discussed their recently-released study: "Green Acres" and Agricultural Land Preservation Programs. Jody Hauer of the Office of the Legislative Auditor (Pictured at left, and no, the meeting wasn't held in a cave. That's just my subpar photography skills at play.) provided a very complete description of the "Green Acres" program, the property tax relief it provides to farmland owners, and its effectiveness in preserving agricultural lands. As it turns out, the program does provide significant property tax relief that is of great assistance to farmers who want to continue to farm as suburban develop creeps ever closer to their property. However, the program does not appear to have a significant effect on the preservation of farmland. Continuing development and its effect on agricultural property is an issue for a number of Schools for Equity in Education members, so I would urge those of you who are interested to download a copy of this report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor's website. I have provided you with a link to that site along with a link to a StarTribune article regarding the release of this report.

"Green Acres" report: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/2008/greenacres.htm

Star Tribune article: http://www.startribune.com/local/south/15468116.html

The expected clash between the Governor in the Legislature should occur soon, as it is likely that the omnibus transportation bill prepared by the Legislature will be on the Governor's desk no later than the week after next. Given the Governor's "red pen" comments during his State of the State Address, the Legislature's transportation package is heading toward near-certain veto (with near certain meaning about 99.999999999999.....%). So stay tuned. I hope to keep you up-to-date through the blog and other means.

Until then, have a great weekend!

Moving Right Along. I promised you yesterday that I would give you my impressions of the State of the State Address and here they are. About midway through the Governor's speech, I started thinking, "This doesn't sound like a State of the State Address. It sounds more like a eulogy." Now stay with me here. I don't intend that comment as a slam against the Governor. William Faulkner, describing the actions of one of his characters, explained the difference between a "monument" and a "footprint," in that a "monument" tells you where you've been and a "footprint" tells you where you are going when you start up again. And in that sense, the address had a eulogy feel to me as we celebrate 150 years of Minnesota history and move toward the future.

Some very real challenges stand in front of us all as we define Minnesota's next steps going into the future. Can we--and should we--maintain all the strong Minnesota traditions we have constructed? If we discard some of these traditions, which ones should be move on without? In the area of education, what changes do we have to make to remain competitive? How much will that cost? Given new costs, how is that revenue generated? New taxes? Cuts in other government services? Each of these questions begs a thorough review of how we develop and deliver government services in Minnesota and while the Governor's address dealt mainly with the narrow specifics of what will be addressed during the 2008 Legislative Session, there were some interesting suggestions--including the creation of a commission to study the state's tax structure--that may provide valuable input as we attempt, as a state, to move ahead.

The Governor addressed education relatively late in the address, but did talk about two or three distinct initiatives he would like to see get greater attention. The creation of a post-tenure review for teachers, more money for the regional math and science academies, increased recruitment of teachers--including through alternative licensure pathways--to improve teacher quality, and greater emphasis on the use of technology in instruction are all subjects the Governor touched upon. The big disappointment, though not unexpected, was the Governor's failure to mention the tough financial straits in which many districts find themselves and how increased reliance on the referendum is becoming a very real problem for both school districts and taxpayers.

The State of the State Address in audio, video, and print can be accessed at: http://www.governor.state.mn.us/

On to the Capitol. Hearings are commencing at a rapid rate. For those lobbyists thinking there was going to be a first week lull, it's been (doing my best Gomer Pyle imitation): "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" The House has had a pretty much full slate of activities and they aren't working simply on minor pieces of legislation. The Legislature plans to have a transportation package--including a gas tax increase and metro area sales tax increase for transit--to the Governor in the next couple of weeks. The House and Senate both passed HF 2285, the 3/8 cent sales tax increase for cultural and environmental preservation constitutional amendment ballot question on Thursday (by votes of 85-46 in the House and 46-17 in the Senate). This measure now goes directly to the November, 2008, ballot.

The House Education Policy Committee met this morning. One of the highlights of the meeting were the reports from the working groups that met over the summer. Representative Denise Dittrich (D-Champlin) (pictured at right) reported on her High School Redesign working group. The work of her group dovetails readily with the P-16 and P-20 efforts that are being discussed along with a number of other proposed reforms. Dr. Rodger Bybee of the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) , former Northfield resident and Carleton College professor provided some very solid insight about science education needs facing students throughout the United States. Dr. Bybee stressed the importance of educating all students and how high school redesign will play a major role in that effort. At the risk of appearing like I am cherry-picking statements from Dr. Bybee's testimony, he was straightforward in stressing that more money is going to be needed to infuse the kinds of reforms we need into the educational system.

More information on BSCS can be found at their homepage: http://www.bscs.org/contact/

I will have more comments tomorrow, as the House Property Tax Division will be discussing the Legislative Auditor's report on the Green Acres program. It should be an interesting meeting (Okay. Okay. I'm a policy geek. I admit it.)

Welcome to the Jungle. Yes, the Legislature is back in session in what promises to be a whirlwind of activity on both the policy and political fronts. Unfortunately, the latter may trump the former in terms of making progress in a number of crucial issue areas.

The first issue that is going to receive attention is transportation. The House and Senate majorities are assembling a major transportation funding package that includes an increase in the gas tax of 7.5 cents (phased-in over the next year and with the 2.5 cents being phased-out as highway building bonds are retired) and a sales tax increase for metropolitan area transit. The fireworks over the bill are already starting, as seen in this article from the Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/local/15545087.html

The other big issue is going to be the bonding bill, which, when all is said and done, may reach a record level of $1 billion (or as Dr. Evil would say "one beeeeeel-iun" dollars). A lot of early-session committee time is dedicated to possible bonding projects and the Osseo school district was one of a handful presenting their proposal (HF 2708--a bill that would create a North Hennepin Family Center to provide a wide range of family and education-related services) to the House K-12 Funding Division on Tuesday afternoon. Superintendent Susan Hintz (pictured with HF 2708 Chief Author Representative Deb Hilstrom (D-Brooklyn Center) and Osseo School Board Member Lin Myszkowski) did an excellent job outlining the student needs that could be met by such a center.

Another education issue that is going to be discussed thoroughly during the 2008 Legislative Session is that of facilities. Representatives Tim Faust (D-Mora) and John Benson (D-Minnetonka) have held several meetings throughout the state discussing this issue. These meetings have taken the shape of informal idea-sharing/brainstorming sessions instead of formal legislative hearings and it's provided an opportunity for discussion of some of the major facilities challenges currently facing school districts. I was honored to be one of those invited to share my perspectives at the Mora meeting. That particular meeting looked like a SEE subcommittee as staff from Mora, Princeton, Pine City, Hutchinson, and Sauk Rapids-Rice (plus I know I'm forgetting somebody) were there.

I would like to really offer my thanks to Brian Mohr, the Director of Building, Grounds, and Student Transportation for the Hutchinson school district, for his tireless efforts on pushing the school facilities issue to the forefront. The picture at the left shows Brian with Representatives Faust and Benson along with Ehlers and Associates representative Gary Olson (who needs no introduction) continuing the facilities discussion after the Mora hearing. School facilities, as we all know, often have to take a back seat to more pressing student needs. With money increasingly tight in school districts throughout the state, the problem only becomes more keen. Hopefully, as comprehensive funding reform is discussed, we will be able to include funding provisions that will spare school districts from having to pit buildings against students when making budget decisions.

That's it for this entry. I'll be back with my view on the State of the State Address tomorrow and perhaps, just perhaps, an update on the Podcast Project!

Have Camera, Will Travel (But I Don't Have Paladin's Mustache). It was great to see some many of you at the annual Minnesota School Boards Association convention in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday and Friday. I ran into a number of SEE member delegations between meetings and other convention festivities. As promised, I showed up with my camera and took a few shots. On the left are Cambridge-Isanti board members Phil Rodriguez and Jane Skogman. In the pictures below, we see Jackie Magnuson (President-elect of the MSBA) and Joel Albright from the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school board talking with representatives of the Minnesota Dairy Council. Below them is a picture of Laurie Swanson and Cathy Storey from the White Bear Lake School District talking with Grand Marais school board member Mary Sanders.

The convention was highlighted (perhaps the wrong word) by the Governor's speech on Thursday. He didn't offer much in the way of optimism, saying that it would be difficult to envision any significant new revenue finding its way to school districts in the coming year. I am not going to use the blog to espouse any particular viewpoint, but it's pretty clear from the Governor's comments that the education community is going to have to work in a concerted and unified manner to change the expected direction of the upcoming legislative session.

PS Minnesota was also present at the convention.

I had the pleasure of joining Robin Smothers (who is heading up the PS Minnesota public relations effort) in a series of roundtable discussions that led off Friday's proceedings. Attendance at each of the 20-minute sessions was impressive, with a number of board members and district administrators standing because chairs were not available. The questions from participants were solid and there seemed to be levels of both interest and energy that would indicate that the desire for comprehensive education funding reform that provides more resources to schools and distributes them more fairly is growing. With the legislative task force poised to say more about comprehensive reform in the coming weeks, the time may have truly come for the kind of discussion that desperately needs to take place.

Just a Bit of an Update. Things are starting to get rolling. Both Houses of the Legislature have been holding hearings throughout the state in an effort to find out more about the issues facing local school districts.

Just such a hearing was held on Monday night in St. Peter when the Minnesota House of Representatives K-12 Funding Division met (The fuzzy individuals in the picture are members of the House Committee and to make it clear, their logic isn't fuzzy, but my camera skills are.) That's District 23A Representative Terry Morrow (D-St. Peter) and former St. Peter board member in the middle seated next to K-12 Funding Division Chair Mindy Greiling (D-Roseville).

St. Peter Superintendent Dr. Jeff Olson did a great job pointing out that a number of needs remain after the 2007 E-12 funding bill. Several members of the St. Peter School Board and the St. Peter School Administration also provided testimony.

Representative Tim Faust (D-Mora) and other members of the House K-12 Funding Division will be holding a roundtable discussion on school facility needs and funding in Mora on Tuesday, January 22, at 12:30 PM. The meeting will be held at Mora high school located at 400 East Maple Avenue.

I hope to see many of you at the Minnesota School Boards convention starting tomorrow. Perhaps my photography skills will have improved enough by then to click some quality candids for future blog entries.

It's January, so It Must be Time to Start Blogging. I will be picking up the blog again starting today, so check back every couple of days for a new nugget or two. There are two items I wanted to pass along today.

Jeff van Wychen and John Fitzgerald have put together a nice piece on the Minnesota 2020 website. You may recall the Minnesota 2020's founder and chair Matt Entenza spoke at our December meeting. This new piece shows how property taxes are rising for school districts while revenue is actually flat or declining. The article can be found at: http://www.mn2020.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BA9AE8CC7-63B1-4678-BD1C-74FA8530D50C%7D&DE=

The other item I want to include is a very good catch-all reference page for all of you political junkies out there. The site is Real Clear Politics and it's chock-full of polls and political articles. It can be found at: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/.

As for New Hampshire (I know you are all just dying to know what I think), it's clear that organization counts for something and that the Clinton campaign organization is nothing to sneeze at. The hammering she took in the press leading up to New Hampshire also probably helped her. And the guys at her rally chanting "Iron my shirts!" may well have ignited some support for her in a backhanded sense.

On the "R" side of the ticket, McCain's performance was certainly impressive and it will be interesting to see if the boost he received in New Hampshire translates to success in Michigan and South Carolina. It's important to remember that Romney has spent a ton of money and a lot of it has gone into building a national presence with organizational structures in each state. Unless a tidal wave of McCain or Huckabee support washes out that structure, Romney can probably stay in the race longer than some now believe. Romney needs a win sooner or later, but if he keeps coming in second, he's going to be piling up delegates. That may not get him the nomination, but it may go a long way toward determining who does.

The Lights Turned On and the Curtain Fell Down. Session 2007 is coming to an end and we have, anticipating a Governor's signature, an education bill. After disparaging all things Minneapolis for about an hour, the House rejected a motion not to concur with the Senate amendments to HF 2245 on a vote of 87-46, approved a motion to concur on a vote of 86-48, and passed the bill on a vote of 94-36. The bill will now head to the Governor where it awaits an uncertain fate. All indications are that he will sign it, but one can never know completely what is going on in this building.

My one prediction going into the session is that there would not be a special session. I always thought that was the one thing that all involved parties wanted to avoid at all costs. It looked very shaky last week and over the weekend, but things came together and it now appears--and let me stress appears--that a special session can be avoided.

I will be looking over the bill and data runs very closely tomorrow and there should be several e-mailings with data and summaries before our meeting on Thursday. We will be joined on Thursday by freshman Representative Terry Morrow (D-St. Peter) and freshman Senator Sandy Rummel (D-White Bear Lake). They will share their impressions of the legislative session and what it was like to be a freshman legislator in such a hectic year.

Before I sign off, I really want to compliment Representative Bud Heidgerken (R-Freeport) for an absolutely great statesmanlike speech on the House floor during the debate on the education bill. Bud represents a wide range of districts and some did better under the bill than others. He did not laud that situation, but pointed out how difficult it is to legislate in the current system of education aids and levies and how frustrating can be when trying to put together the education bill. He sent out the call for reform. Sounds like a great stepping off point for the next phase of our work with PS Minnesota.

Ain't It Hot, Hot, Hot. The E-12 funding bill passed the Senate floor by a vote of 51-15 about an hour-and-a-half ago and HF 2245 is now on the House floor. Most--and when I say most, I mean almost every comment--of the discussion is all about the imbalance in the bill due to the heavy special education costs in Minneapolis and several other districts. Those of you in the other districts can rest easily because Minneapolis is the sole target of the invective being ladled out against the bill.

You should have received the updated runs, but don't take them to be completely accurate at this point. I am certain they are 99% correct, but there may be an isolated miscue. Kudos to the entire House and Senate staff for getting all of the summary documents together. They did tremendous work in a limited amount of time.

I'll give a final update after the House vote, but everything points toward the session ending easily by the midnight constitutional deadline. About the only thing that could de-rail that would be a eruption of rhetoric about the magnitude of Mt. St. Helen's. Hey wait. That's what's happening. Seriously, the end is in sight.

It's Late Afternoon and We Have a Need for Action. The teacher mandatory health pool legislation passed the Senate about two hours ago on a vote of 43-23. Senator David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) moved to send the bill back to conference committee because the amendment offered by Senator Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) providing districts with an opportunity to opt out of the pool was removed in conference committee. That motion was defeated on a vote of 38-28.

It's now in the hands of the Governor. I have written a letter that I will be delivering shortly to the Governor outlining our organization's opposition to this measure and urging his veto, but, if you are so inclined, you should also call the Governor's office and urge him to veto this stinker.

The Governor's office phone number is 651-296-3391.

His e-mail address is: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

The Data is Coming! The Data is Coming! We are starting to distribute data relating to the final version of HF 2245--the omnibus E-12 bill. You should have received an e-mail from me about an hour ago and Deb Griffiths is now distributing additional documents. Many of these documents provide the same information, but versions may read differently in terms of style, so we believe it is helpful to get out as much information as possible.

In another matter, HF 464--the teacher health care pool--just passed the House on a vote 0f 83-51. The bill does contain the reserves requirement and requires approval by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, but it still isn't a particpularly good bill. Representative Tom Emmer (R-Delano) moved that the bill be sent back to conference committee to re-insert the amendment offered by Senator Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) that provided an opt-out provision. That motion failed on a vote of 82-51 and the bill then proceeded to final passage.

Stay tuned in today. We are going to try and keep you in the loop to the greatest extent possible.

For Those of You Watching At Home. HF 464--the mandatory statewide education employee health insurance pool--is currently on the House floor and the debate is quite interesting.

A Rumour of a Bill. Philip Caputo wrote his classic Vietnam-era memoir A Rumour of War and I will now author a brief 2007 Legislative Session-era classic A Rumour of a Bill. It appears--and let me stress the word appears--that negotiations on the education bill have reached a successful agreement.

Some of what I have heard is a bit troubling. A 1% increase in the general education basic formula for the second year of the biennium has supposedly been inserted into the bill and that should provide some succor to those who were nervous about a flat second year. There has reportedly been some backing away from the full funding of special education, but that budget category will still be getting the lion's share (and it's a pretty big lion) of the new revenue. It also appears that the meager nod toward all-day kindergarten has gotten a bit more meager (is more meager an oxymoron?).

Anyway, stay tuned. There will be material coming out throughout the day and Deb and I will try to get as much information to you as possible.

Hey Insomniacs. It's 11:50 PM on Sunday, the 20th of May. The Senate has gone home for the evening while the House continues to debate a number of funding bills. Earlier this evening, the conference committee on HF 464 (the mandatory education employee health care pool) met and finished that bill. Unfortunately, the "opt-out" amendment that Senator Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) put on the bill in the Senate yesterday was struck from the bill during the conference committee's deliberations and the bill will go to the House floor relatively "naked." The Loeffler amendment that was attached in the House yesterday (and supported by SEE) is still on the bill as is the amendment offered by Representative Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) that protects school districts in the event the pool goes under. It is expected that the bill will pass both the House and Senate, but I believe it is important that each of you should voice your concerns--yay or nay--to your legislators.

But this is the calm before the storm that will be Monday, May 21. The Legislature must adjourn at midnight tomorrow evening and it is going to be a mad rush to get all of the funding bills and the tax bill passed prior to the witching hour.

Rumors are running rampant about the changing face of the education bill. There has been no indication that there will be a major departure from the current framework of the bill, though reports floating through the hallways indicate that attempts are being made to put more money into the second year of the biennium. The Governor is reportedly trying to get funding to expand the QComp program. How this all shakes out is going to be very interesting and tune in tomorrow for reports.

Until then, I can only urge you all to get to bed. You've got to work in the morning.

We Were Sent Home. Around 11 PM last evening, we were informed that the E-12 conference committee would not be meeting. There is no indication whether or not the panel will be meeting today, although the House is in session this afternoon after meeting late into the evening on the "sales tax increase and dedication" constitutional amendment. At this point, it appears that the conference committee would meet solely to distribute the final copy of the bill. MDE staff was working last evening on language issues they would like to have included in the final bill, but they were uncertain as to how the process would unfold. Stay tuned. I will provide an update later this afternoon or this evening.

The Roaring Silence. I'm sitting here in Room 112 of the Capitol waiting patiently for the E-12 conference committee to reconvene. They met for a brief time at 2 PM, but had to recess before any business was completed due to budget negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor and bills that had come up on the House floor. It's hard to tell when they will be back, but rest assured I will let you know what is happening.

No decision has been made by the House on whether or not to concur with the Senate amendment to HF 464 (the mandatory--optional thanks to the Senate--statewide health insurance pool). Word in the halls make it sound like it will be going to conference committee. Stay tuned.

Saturday. . .Not in the Park. . .and it's Definitely not the Fourth of July. Here I sit on the last Saturday of the regular session and it's already off to a rousing start. The Senate brought up HF 464--the mandatory statewide teacher health insurance pool--just about an hour ago. After describing the bill and the slight change in parliamentary course, Senator Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) offered an "opt-out" amendment under which 15% of the members of any bargaining unit could force an election as to whether or not their bargaining unit should or should not join the statewide insurance pool. Of course, a majority of voters in the bargaining unit would make the final decision as to what the bargaining unit would do. The amendment passed on a 35-29 vote. The bill then passed on a 49-16 vote. The bill now goes to the House, which will likely vote not to concur with the Senate amendments, forcing a conference committee.

The E-12 Conference Committee will be convening at 2 PM (a half hour from now) to update the education community on what is transpiring in the budget negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor. Don't hesitate to call me at 612-220-7459 if you have any questions. I will be updating the blog throughout the day.

A Quiet Friday. It was a quiet Friday on the E-12 front and it wasn't particularly raucous anywhere at the Legislature. The day was rather perfunctory, with a few minor bills and conference committees receiving final passage.

Saturday promises to be another story. A number of major funding bills are still hanging, including the E-12 bill (and rumor has it that the bill is not being universally well received by the House DFLers, putting its eventual passage there in question). The Governor receives very little in way of his initiatives in the current version of the bill and certainly wants at least a few of them. The trouble, of course, is money (or the lack thereof) and the main legislative negotiators are trying to make the Governor "buy" his programs with "his own money." So, stay tuned.

The health insurance bill will come up on the Senate floor tomorrow and it appears that either the Scheid amendment (which is on the Senate bill that was sent to the House) or the Loeffler amendment (which is on the House bill that was sent to the Senate yesterday) will be on the bill when the Senate passes it tomorrow. These amendments provide vital protections for school districts as the mandatory statewide health insurance pool is developed and, perhaps, implemented and these protections must remain in the bill. So, a phone call or two couldn't hurt.

I will be updating the blog several times tomorrow, as things are bound to start happening. Maybe bound is too bold a prediction, but things should be shaking tomorrow.

Again, call with questions or comments.

We're all about Health Insurance Today. HF 464--Education Minnesota's statewide health insurance pool--has been on the House floor for the past five-plus hours and the discussion is as illuminating as ever.

There is good news in that the amendment we informed you about yesterday--offered by Representative Diane Loeffler (DFL-Minneapolis)--was adopted on a voice vote. This amendment, while it doesn't go quite as far as the amendment offered by Senator Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and adopted in that body, it does provide many of the same safeguards as that amendment. Under the Loeffler amendment, the Minnesota Department of Commerce will have the authority to review, approve, and regulate after approval the proposed self-insured pool. Further, if Education Minnesota decided to establish a self-insured pool, it must have sufficient reserves before it can begin operations.

I want to thank all of you who contacted your State Representatives urging adoption of the Loeffler amendment. I heard from a number of legislators that they had received the message and were impressed with it.

Progress on the larger budget picture is moving forward, backwards, or sideways depending upon your perspective. It appears that the Senate will recall HF 2245--the E-12 budget package they passed yesterday--from the House and bring it back to the Senate floor for further consideration and possible amendment. How much change will be undertaken has yet to be seen. Legislative leadership has been meeting with the Governor in an attempt to put together a "macro" budget package. The E-12 bill passed by the Senate yesterday had very few of the Governor's initiatives and also capped QComp. Clearly, the Governor would like to change this situation, but it is my guess that the Legislature will force him to "buy" his programs with new money, as opposed to re-channeling money currently in the bill toward them.

And let's not forget that the tax bill remains out there.

It's a few minutes before 6 PM and although I'm no Eugene O'Neill, it may be another Long Day's Journey into Night as the session lurches toward an ending.

In another matter, I had Deb Griffiths distribute a data run I prepared and you should have received it. Given the data I was working with, it was difficult to make it make sense. I am continuing to work on presentation instruments that will provide you with an accurate description of the bill's financial effects. Call or e-mail with any questions. Thanks.

Step One Complete. The Senate has just passed HF 2245--the vehicle bill for the legislature's education package--on a vote of 47-17. The House will be coming back shortly and this will be one of the first things on the evening's agenda. I will keep you posted. Check back for surprises.

We're on the Senate Floor. Not literally of course. I'm sitting in the lobbyist room watching the proceedings on HF 2245--the new vehicle for the House/Senate agreement--on the television monitors. Senator Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud) has just described the bill and is now taking questions. Due to the way the bill was put together, a number of the questions are quite pointed and discussion as to why the bill was put together outside of the conference committee process is taking place. The bill was agreed upon in the wee hours this morning and was available for review at around 5:00 AM and some are complaining that they haven't had time to review the bill.

Because this bill is not a conference committee report, it can be amended. I am aware that there will be an amendment to take care of some oversights and technical issues which should pass, but I doubt any other changes will take place. The bill will then go to the House, where there will have to be a successful motion to concur with the Senate amendments to prevent another conference committee.

So, if you have access to watch this discussion, tune in. It's going to get wild!

We Have Soup. Or at least a recipe. Whether or not it's a recipe the Governor will not send back remains to be seen.

Rather than finish the education bill in conference committee, an amendment has been prepared that will be attached by the Senate to a House file and, after final passage of the bill--HF 2245--by the Senate, it will go to the House for final approval and then onto the Governor for either signature or veto.

Confusing enough for you?

The highlights of the bill (amendment) are:

• 2% increase in the general education basic formula for 2007-2008 school year. 0% increase beyond that.
• Full funding of special education formula for 2007-2008 school year and beyond. $180 million increase in 2007-2008 and 4.6% thereafter.
• Approximately $150 million in one-time money spread over the next two school years for technology purchases and deferred maintenance.
• 9-member PS Minnesota Task Force comprised of 8 legislators and a representative of the Commissioner of Education.
• No property tax relief.

I'm going to be here all day, as the Teacher Health Insurance pool is up on the House floor today along with a raft of appropriations bill. So check back often. Thank you.

'til Tuesday. Staying with the musical theme, we'll turn to that mid-80s stalwart 'til Tuesday featuring the great Aimee Mann, as we hit move, appropriately, to Tuesday. 'til Tuesday's biggest hit was Voices Carry and I sincerely wish voices were carrying around here because the silence is deafening. There are negotiations taking place, but there does not appear to be a final budget target for the E-12 conference committee and the rumor running around the Capitol today was that the conference committee may not meet again and instead, a bill may be negotiated and attached to another piece of legislation and sent to the Governor. That's "six-of-one/half-dozen of the other" if a bill has been negotiated by both parties. If the bill has not been negotiated, it is what is called a "scud" and would not be a good way for the DFL-controlled Legislature to handle business for the first time that they have had control of both bodies since 1999.

It should be very interesting, but until something becomes more clear, I will adhere to the words of another great pop culture icon, Sergeant Schultz from Hogan's Heroes, "I know nothing."

Call with questions or comments.

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day. . .to get anything substantive done. I might as well make plays on words using 1960s song titles, because not anything else of consequence is happening these days. In the words of the Bard of Avon: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time;"

Well, the last syllable of recorded time for the regular session is 168 hours from tonight (5/14) at 11:59:59, so things have to get moving a bit. Big bills are moving on the floors of both the House and Senate, including the constitutional amendment for a 3/8 cent increase in the sales tax for outdoor and cultural purposes and the transportation finance bill that includes a five-cent gas tax increase. A number of finance bills, some on a second trip through conference committee due to the Governor's veto, are in conference committee.

All this adds up to a monster Seven Days in May, after which things may go nuclear in a political sense. There are enough bad puns in this blog, so I'll give everyone a chance to answer a couple of trivia questions. Congrats to Mark Redemske, Superintendent in Maple Lake, for identifying Todd Rundgren and the album Something/Anything as the participant and source for the title "One More Day (No Word)."

First, "Monday, Monday" was a big hit for the Mamas & the Papas. Name the only member of the group that is still alive. Second, the mega co-stars for 1964's Oscar-nominated Seven Days in May (Sorry, no winners) was the second of three times these actors teamed up at the top of the bill. Name either of the other movies in which these two thespians labored next to each other. One of the films was very, very good. The other was very, very not-so-good.

Education isn't Working on this Weekend. Hey, everybody loves a play on words for the title of that great 1980s hit by Loverboy. Unfortunately, the result of this particular play on words is going to be one hellacious week of work starting next Monday. It's going to be about 180 hours of madness with conference committees going full blast.

Yesterday, the Senate put an amendment on HF 2294 that increased income taxes by approximately $450 million and used that revenue to buy down property taxes and then passed the bill. The House concurred with those amendments today and repassed the legislation. It is now on its way to the Governor where it faces a certain veto.

Whatever one feels about the legislation and its probable demise, work will begin in earnest on Monday, as the boundaries of the Legislature's possible action has now been defined by the Governor's recent actions. One of my boldest predictions prior to the Legislative Session is that there would not be a special session. In recent weeks, I have wavered a bit in that prediction. Things can get done on time, but a lot of stuff is going to have to fly around and land in the right place to ensure that occuring.

Again, call with any questions or comments at 612-220-7459.

One More Day (No Word). Or so the song goes. More about that later.

There is still no movement on the E-12 conference committee. Rumours abound as to when the conference committee will once again convene and it may be yet today. It appears that the education bill will somehow be linked with the tax bill and sent to the Governor in one package. At one point, it was conjectured that the Higher Education funding bill and the Transportation funding bill would also be lumped into this "mega-bill" in order to put the tax increases together with the Legislature's key spending increases in order to provide a level of greater transparency.

Transparent or not, the Governor had to go back to the cabinet to get a new veto pen because his first one ran out of ink and we are probably just getting started.

I will keep you posted as things begin to happen (hopefully soon).

Now, back to the title of this entry. I have no idea if anyone is reading this blog, so here is a trivia question. First prize is lunch at Ulcer Gulch, the snack bar on the second floor of the Capitol that operates during session hours. The pre-packaged sandwiches are delicious, but I am ticked they ran out of beef-and-cheese combo sticks.

The title of this entry comes from a monumentally important, I would say seminal, album (a double album no less) from the early 1970s. Name the artist and the album. A hint is that this individual played all of the instruments on three of the four sides of the double album set and is still recording today. Have fun and, please, give me an answer so that I know someone is reading this.

This Pace Makes a Snail Look Like a Sprinter. Nothing really substantive to report from the past few days as there have been no formal meetings of the full E-12 Education Conference Committee.

The Early Intervention working group met for about an hour-and-a-half on Friday morning in an attempt to work out language differences that exist in the two bills on the Americorp reading program. Both bills contain the program, but there are language differences that need to be resolved.

Representative Greiling is in control of the gavel and the next meeting will occur when she calls it. By all reports, she is reluctant to call a meeting without the overall budget target being set. With two weeks left in the session, the target will have to be set shortly (obviously), but given the Governor's vetoes of three funding bills (the bonding bill, the economic development bill, and the state departments bill) has made things a bit more complicated. On the one hand, it appears the Governor is using the budget bill vetoes to direct dollars toward certain budget areas (perhaps, but not undoubtedly, education). Further, the Tax conference committee worked on both Friday and Saturday and what is contained in that bill certainly will have the largest effect on what the results of the session ultimately looks like.

Again, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have as the session heads into the homestretch.

Nothing to Report. The conference committee has not been meeting this week. Representative Greiling has the gavel--in other words, she will call the next meeting--and will call a meeting once a budget target for the conference committee has been set. Working groups on several broad non-funding related issues are meeting periodically and I will provide you with pertinent details of those meetings.

Keep tuned in. The longer the conference committee is not meeting, the more that will need to get done in a increasingly brief (is that an oxymoron?) period of time. In other words, this is the calm before the storm.

If You're Going to Have a Blog. . .you have to remember to update it regularly.

Sorry I haven't given the Saturday update until this morning. Saturday morning's conference committee was one of the best conference committee meetings I have witnessed in all my years, some would contend too many, watching education conference committees.

After adopting several relatively minor provisions that were either the same in each bill or only slightly different, the discussion turned to the property tax relief portions of each bill. As a quick reminder, the House bill contains targeted property tax relief delivered through increased referendum and debt service equalization along with a huge increase in the equalizing factor for the total operating capital (which benefits all school districts). The Senate bill contains the consolidated levy, which combines the levies from three revenue programs (total operating capital, transition, and equity), buys them down by $100 million, and spreads a new levy based on ANTC across all school districts. The Senate action, at its base level, recreates some notion of a general education levy.

The discussion around these two varying approaches was both polite and insightful. Both sides appreciated what the other was trying to accomplish and it was a truly illuminating discussion as the conferees worked to find the appropriate place for the property tax in the education system.

In all, well done by the conferees.

There is no formal conference committee meeting today, but three working groups are meeting to develop compromise positions on academic standards, early intervention (including RTI and PBIS), and International Baccalaureate and other programs in the area of educational excellence.

I will post tomorrow's starting time when it becomes available. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

We're Moving Now! Thursday's conference committee saw the first language approvals for the bill that is being jointly developed. Senate and House staff went through the side-by-side comparison section-by-section, with a number of provisions that were either the same or only contained minor language differences but met the same exact purpose gaining approval of the conference committee. It was an arduous process as both sides took the time to make certain the members from the other body understood their provisions. There were numerous interruptions to the conference committee proceedings as members of the House often had to head to the House floor to vote on amendments offered to the statewide smoking ban bill.

The conference committee will not be meeting Friday, but will be meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the property tax relief provisions in both bills. The meeting begins at 9:30 AM and is scheduled to end around noon. The weather is supposed to be absolutely beautiful on Saturday and I know that none of you have anything planned, so it would be a perfect morning to head to the Capitol. Seriously, I look forward to seeing any of you who do decide to stop by.

It was a very interesting conference committee hearing this afternoon, as the Senate used the opportunity to present and discuss their special education provisions. As you are aware, the original Senate bill provides nearly $500 million in special education funding, starting with the $138 million deficiency for the current fiscal year.

Senator Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake), chief author of the Senate legislation, gave a very comprehensive description of the bill and of its importance to school districts throughout Minnesota. Compelling testimony was provided by a number of school board members and education professionals, including the following representatives of SEE member districts: White Bear Lake Special Education Director Barbara Burke, St. Cloud School Board Member Jerry Van Korff (pictured above speaking with Senator Tarryl Clark after the meeting), and Osseo School Board Member (and SEE President-elect) Kim Green.

The message was very clear. If the special education formula is not adequately funded by the state, school district general funds throughout Minnesota will be raided to make up for the shortfall in state funding. There were several handouts provided that I will try to obtain in digital form to distribute to membership.

The conference committee will reconvene tomorrow with the meeting initally scheduled for 1:30 PM. Issues on the House floor will probably force the meeting start back a bit, but it is anticipated that the meeting will be held. The subject matter to be discussed are the policy and funding issues in the side-by-side bill comparison.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding the conference committee as it continues its work. I can be reached at 612-220-7459.

Conference Committee Begins. The 2007 E-12 Conference Committee kicks off this afternoon at 1 PM (a mere half hour from now). It appears that the first day will be dedicated to outlining parameters of the conference committee discussion.

The members of the conference committee were named yesterday. They are as follows:

Senate

Senator Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud)
Senatolr Chuck Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul)
Senator Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury)
Senator Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake)
Senator Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista)

Please note that Senate E-12 Education Committee Chairman LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer) is not a member of the conference committee. Senator Stumpf recently underwent medical tests that revealed heart-related surgery is necessary. The surgery will take place within the next two weeks. Full recovery is expected, but he will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

House

Representative Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville)
Representative Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul)
Representative Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood)
Representative Patty Fritz (DFL-Faribault)
Representative Bud Heidgerken (R-Freeport)

Please check back regularly, as I will update the blog at least once a day and probably more than that as the proceedings quicken.

UPDATE: The confererence committee adjourned today after a meeting of about two hours. The bulk of the time was used to discuss the level of budget target that both sets of conferees believe is necessary to put together a balanced bill that truly meets the needs of Minnesota's school districts. It was decided that the conferees will ask legislative leadership for a target in the neighborhood of $950 million. Of course, increased income taxes would be needed to generate the revenue necessary for a budget target of this magnitude.

Legislative leadership will be setting the budget targets for each of the conference committees on Friday, April 27.

The Senate holds the gavel for tomorrow's conference committee meeting and have decided that a discussion of the Senate's special education funding provisions will be the order of the day. The conference committee will begin meeting at 1 PM in Room 112 of the State Capitol.