Full Schedule. There was a full slate of education-related committees today, starting with the House Education Innovation Policy Committee this morning. The committee heard testimony from the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts on how they are working to improve student discipline issues with positive interventions. The committee also heard the recommendations from the Student Discipline Working Group that met during the interim. The House Education Finance Committee heard three bills that would expand Minnesota's private school choice programs by expanding the education tax credit to include private school tuition and increasing the tax deduction for private school tuition. The bills heard were HF 255 (Representative Sarah Anderson), HF 386 (Representative Ron Kresha), and HF 387 (Representative Jim Knoblach). It will be interesting to see how the session continues to play out on this issue, but it would not be surprising if there were a showdown on this issue. The House included Representative Knoblach's bill in their 2015 tax bill and I can easily envision either that exact language or a hybrid of that language and Representative Kresha's bill in the House tax bill (and probably the bill the Legislature puts together and sends to the Governor). The Senate Education Policy Committee heard a presentation from the Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius on plans for the World's Best Workforce moving forward.
I will post the list of bills introduced today on tomorrow's blog.
Thursday, February 09, 2017
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Tax Bill Heard. The Governor's tax proposal was heard in the Senate Tax Committee this morning and because there are some significant tax provisions that affect school district taxes, a number of school groups testified on the bill, including SEE in the person of yours truly. For those who need refreshing, the Governor's tax proposal contains two provisions related to school building bond debt that would help a number of school districts. The first is the Ag Bond Credit which writes off 40% of the property tax .burden on agricultural property attributable to school building bond debt. This provision was part of the vetoed tax bill from last session and is being revisited by all parties this year. The second provision is increased debt service equalization. The Governor proposes to inject $60 million into increased debt service equalization over the next four years. This is done by lowering the second tier eligibility threshold, first to 22.34% for taxes payable in 2017 (which will be carried as an adjustment on taxes payable in 2018) and then to 19.00% for taxes payable in 2018 and beyond. Besides the obvious support these proposals will receive from SEE, it is important to note these proposals are in the tax bill and not in the education bill. In my remarks, I stated that the Tax Committee is the appropriate place for these items to be discussed instead of being pitted against money on the formula or towards the special education formula. I also stated that SEE, AMSD, and MREA have been working together on a larger equalization package that will be unveiled within the next week or so. Should be interesting times.
The House Education Finance Committee continued to take testimony on the Governor's education budget today, with a number of groups offering their perspective.
The Senate E-12 Funding Committee spent its time on four bills and testimony from MDE staff on the Governor's E-12 budget that has been introduced as SF 718 authored by committee chair Senator Carla Nelson. The bill that is of the greatest interest to SEE is Senator Kiffmeyer's SF 189. Senator Kiffmeyer represents a number of low wealth/low revenue school districts and has tried for years to come up with a formula that will channel more funds to districts at the lower end of the revenue spectrum. SF 189 is not the most straightforward formula I could imagine, but it does zero in on a handful of districts at the lower end of the revenue spectrum. SEE superintendents Ann Marie Foucault (St. Michael-Albertville), Steve Westerberg (Big Lake), and Bruce Watkins (Elk River) along with Farmington superintendent Jay Haugen provided comments about what it's like to be in the situation that Senator Kiffmeyer is attempting to remedy. It will be interesting to see how the discussion around this bill proceeds as the session continues.
The other bills receiving attention were:
SF 186-Wiger-Grants for programs that facilitate transition between middle school and high school.
SF 442-Paul Anderson-Funding for Minnesota Math Corps
SF 718-Nelson-Governor's Budget
Speaking of St. Michael-Albertville, congratulations to the district for passing its bond levy on Tuesday.
The House Education Finance Committee continued to take testimony on the Governor's education budget today, with a number of groups offering their perspective.
The Senate E-12 Funding Committee spent its time on four bills and testimony from MDE staff on the Governor's E-12 budget that has been introduced as SF 718 authored by committee chair Senator Carla Nelson. The bill that is of the greatest interest to SEE is Senator Kiffmeyer's SF 189. Senator Kiffmeyer represents a number of low wealth/low revenue school districts and has tried for years to come up with a formula that will channel more funds to districts at the lower end of the revenue spectrum. SF 189 is not the most straightforward formula I could imagine, but it does zero in on a handful of districts at the lower end of the revenue spectrum. SEE superintendents Ann Marie Foucault (St. Michael-Albertville), Steve Westerberg (Big Lake), and Bruce Watkins (Elk River) along with Farmington superintendent Jay Haugen provided comments about what it's like to be in the situation that Senator Kiffmeyer is attempting to remedy. It will be interesting to see how the discussion around this bill proceeds as the session continues.
The other bills receiving attention were:
SF 186-Wiger-Grants for programs that facilitate transition between middle school and high school.
SF 442-Paul Anderson-Funding for Minnesota Math Corps
SF 718-Nelson-Governor's Budget
Speaking of St. Michael-Albertville, congratulations to the district for passing its bond levy on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Hearings All Day. Three hearings today. First off was the House Education Innovation Policy Committee, which dealt with three bills. The first was Representative Erickson's bill--HF 731--that would formalize the curricular requirements that accompany the civics test school districts must now give to high school students. Nothing has changed from current application of the test, but civics is now clarified as part of the social studies curriculum. The other two bills dealt with proposed tax credits. The first of these bills--HF 574 authored by Representative Dean Urdahl--would provide teachers who pursue a Master's Degree in their curricular field a refundable tax credit. The second was HF 602, Representative Sarah Anderson's proposal to expand Minnesota's Education Tax Credit to include expenditures on pre-school programs. Both of the tax credit bills were referred to the Tax Committee.
The second hearing was the House Education Finance Committee. That committee devoted its time to continued presentation of the Governor's education budget proposal and then took testimony from education groups outlining what they like (or dislike) in the Governor's budget. I had the opportunity to testify today on behalf of SEE and credited the Governor with presenting a budget with a healthy--and realistic--budget target of $604 million. I voiced the organization's support for the 2% increase in both years of the biennium for general education basic formula, the $40 million in increased special education aid, the proposal to use the pension subtraction instead of the basic formula to rectify the deficit in Teachers Retirement Fund, and the Governor's decision to increase debt service equalization in the tax bill.
The Senate Education Policy Committee was the last meeting of the day and it heard the Legislative Auditor's report on teacher licensure along with the recommendations of the Legislative Working Group of Educator Licensing.
The second hearing was the House Education Finance Committee. That committee devoted its time to continued presentation of the Governor's education budget proposal and then took testimony from education groups outlining what they like (or dislike) in the Governor's budget. I had the opportunity to testify today on behalf of SEE and credited the Governor with presenting a budget with a healthy--and realistic--budget target of $604 million. I voiced the organization's support for the 2% increase in both years of the biennium for general education basic formula, the $40 million in increased special education aid, the proposal to use the pension subtraction instead of the basic formula to rectify the deficit in Teachers Retirement Fund, and the Governor's decision to increase debt service equalization in the tax bill.
The Senate Education Policy Committee was the last meeting of the day and it heard the Legislative Auditor's report on teacher licensure along with the recommendations of the Legislative Working Group of Educator Licensing.
Monday, February 06, 2017
Bills! After a month of listening to reports, the Senate E-12 Committee dove into hearing legislation today as six bills were presented to the committee. All of the bills were laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus education funding bill that will likely take shape in March. Here is a list of the bills that were heard in committee:
SF 158-Clausen-STEM Grants
SF 305-Utke-Appropriation for Principals Academy
SF 310-Weber-Southwestern Minnesota Career and Technical Education Consortium
SF 312-Weber-Exemption from General Reciprocity Agreement with South Dakota for Hendricks School District
SF 443-Nelson-Appropriation for Minnesota Reading Corps
SF 489-Nelson-Makes Funding for Compensatory Revenue Pilot Sites Permanent
A number of SEE districts participated in the testimony. The Iron Maidens, a girls' robotic team from Apple Valley High School, testified in favor of SF 158. Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent David Law testified in favor of SF 489. All of the compensatory revenue pilot sites have shown a lot of progress with their grants (which were established in 2003 and have been renewed in each finding cycle since). The necessity for the grants springs from the building concentration factor that puts districts with poverty spread relatively evenly throughout the district at a disadvantage.
Another Superb Job by the SE MN Service Cooperative. Suzanne Riley and her awesome team at the SE MN Service Cooperative put together another stellar legislative forum on Saturday morning. I have to leave the house at a little after 6 AM to get there in time, but it's always worth the trip. This year's forum included presentations on a wide range of school needs, including more money on the basic formula, increased funding for special education, and increased support for debt service and referendum equalization and was attended by more than a dozen legislators. Goodhue County Education District Director Cherie Johnson, Cannon Falls Superintendent Beth Giese, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa Superintendent Gary Anger did an excellent job outlining the teacher shortage we are facing across the curriculum, with Johnson pointing out the extreme shortages in special education. For those of you looking for a model to emulate when putting together a legislative forum, I urge you to take a look at what they've done at the SE MN Service Cooperative.
SF 158-Clausen-STEM Grants
SF 305-Utke-Appropriation for Principals Academy
SF 310-Weber-Southwestern Minnesota Career and Technical Education Consortium
SF 312-Weber-Exemption from General Reciprocity Agreement with South Dakota for Hendricks School District
SF 443-Nelson-Appropriation for Minnesota Reading Corps
SF 489-Nelson-Makes Funding for Compensatory Revenue Pilot Sites Permanent
A number of SEE districts participated in the testimony. The Iron Maidens, a girls' robotic team from Apple Valley High School, testified in favor of SF 158. Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent David Law testified in favor of SF 489. All of the compensatory revenue pilot sites have shown a lot of progress with their grants (which were established in 2003 and have been renewed in each finding cycle since). The necessity for the grants springs from the building concentration factor that puts districts with poverty spread relatively evenly throughout the district at a disadvantage.
Another Superb Job by the SE MN Service Cooperative. Suzanne Riley and her awesome team at the SE MN Service Cooperative put together another stellar legislative forum on Saturday morning. I have to leave the house at a little after 6 AM to get there in time, but it's always worth the trip. This year's forum included presentations on a wide range of school needs, including more money on the basic formula, increased funding for special education, and increased support for debt service and referendum equalization and was attended by more than a dozen legislators. Goodhue County Education District Director Cherie Johnson, Cannon Falls Superintendent Beth Giese, and Zumbrota-Mazeppa Superintendent Gary Anger did an excellent job outlining the teacher shortage we are facing across the curriculum, with Johnson pointing out the extreme shortages in special education. For those of you looking for a model to emulate when putting together a legislative forum, I urge you to take a look at what they've done at the SE MN Service Cooperative.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
Thursday, February 02, 2017
Sweet Thursday. I bet you don't remember that rock band from the late-1960s led by the late keyboardist extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins (It's important to remember all this rock and roll trivia. You may be on Jeopardy someday.). Anyway, three hearings today starting with the House Education Innovation Policy Committee, which spent its time listening to presentations from a number of career and technical programs. One of the barriers to providing career and technical programs is the inability to find licensed instructors. Here is a link to the report of the Career and Technical Educator Licensing Task Force:
Career and Technical Educator Licensure Task Force Report
The House Education Finance Committee devoted its time slot to continuing its review of the Governor's budget proposal with special attention given to special education funding. The committee spent Wednesday's hearing listening to perspectives on special education funding and policy and it took the next step today in dissecting Minnesota's special education funding formula. Minnesota's special education funding formula is fairly complex due to the fact it's a combination of the "old" cost-reimbursement formula and the "new" pupil-weighting formula.
The Senate Education Policy Committee split its time between Representative Paul Utke's SF 468, a bill that requires a personal learning plan for students who are not reading at grade level by 3rd grade. Reaction to the bill is a bit mixed. No one objects to the goal of having all students reading at grade level by third grade and the bill's language mirrors the compromise that was struck between the legislators and the school community last spring. This provision was not contained in the final bill last year so it is being run up the flag pole again. This was the bill's initial hearing and Chair Eric Pratt promised that there will be ample opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard before the bill moves forward.
SF 468
The committee then turned to the report of the Student Discipline Working Group. Convened over the summer, the group tussled with a number of difficult issues. For those who were hoping for earth-shattering recommendations, there aren't any here, but that doesn't mean that the work isn't impressive. There is a call for more support staff (social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurses) and continued work on the concept of "willful" when determining student behavior that merits suspension.
Here is a link to the working group report.
Student Discipline Working Group Report
Career and Technical Educator Licensure Task Force Report
The House Education Finance Committee devoted its time slot to continuing its review of the Governor's budget proposal with special attention given to special education funding. The committee spent Wednesday's hearing listening to perspectives on special education funding and policy and it took the next step today in dissecting Minnesota's special education funding formula. Minnesota's special education funding formula is fairly complex due to the fact it's a combination of the "old" cost-reimbursement formula and the "new" pupil-weighting formula.
The Senate Education Policy Committee split its time between Representative Paul Utke's SF 468, a bill that requires a personal learning plan for students who are not reading at grade level by 3rd grade. Reaction to the bill is a bit mixed. No one objects to the goal of having all students reading at grade level by third grade and the bill's language mirrors the compromise that was struck between the legislators and the school community last spring. This provision was not contained in the final bill last year so it is being run up the flag pole again. This was the bill's initial hearing and Chair Eric Pratt promised that there will be ample opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard before the bill moves forward.
SF 468
The committee then turned to the report of the Student Discipline Working Group. Convened over the summer, the group tussled with a number of difficult issues. For those who were hoping for earth-shattering recommendations, there aren't any here, but that doesn't mean that the work isn't impressive. There is a call for more support staff (social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurses) and continued work on the concept of "willful" when determining student behavior that merits suspension.
Here is a link to the working group report.
Student Discipline Working Group Report
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House-Wednesday
House-Thursday
Senate-Thursday
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Wednesday Hearings. The education funding divisions in the House and Senate both met today. The House Education Finance Committee received a tutorial on special education in Minnesota. Former St. Cloud Special Education Director Elisabeth Lodge Rogers (who now works at Intermediate District 287) provided background on how students are identified, how an IEP is constructed, and how the process changes as the student continues through their educational process. Her presentation was followed by a panel from the Minnesota Department of Education that provided a statistical outline of Minnesota's special education population. The quest to reduce paperwork was the topic that received the most discussion. Everyone recognizes that paperwork is a problem and that reducing paperwork while ensuring due process rights can be tricky, but there is no question that the mounds of paperwork that is required of special education teachers is driving more and more of them out of the profession.
The Senate E-12 Finance Committee heard once again from a variety of career and technical education programs and the partnerships these programs have made with the business community. There has been a lot of interest expressed thus far this session in working with non-college bound youth and making sure these students have access to "next step" programs that make sense for them. College is the right choice for many (perhaps most) kids, but it's not the right choice for all kids and there's no question that the whole country has been in the thrall of college for all (that rhymes!) since the Reagan Administration's A Nation at Risk. We're closing in on 40 years since that was hatched (Wow! Am I old or what?) and there is no question that career and technical programs have been decimated over that period. The push toward college hasn't been the sole cause of the dwindling of secondary level career and technical education programs (higher per pupil costs in these programs in a time of limited resources has also contributed) and it may be time to allow students (and their parents) to map futures more aligned with their interests and career goals.
The Senate E-12 Finance Committee heard once again from a variety of career and technical education programs and the partnerships these programs have made with the business community. There has been a lot of interest expressed thus far this session in working with non-college bound youth and making sure these students have access to "next step" programs that make sense for them. College is the right choice for many (perhaps most) kids, but it's not the right choice for all kids and there's no question that the whole country has been in the thrall of college for all (that rhymes!) since the Reagan Administration's A Nation at Risk. We're closing in on 40 years since that was hatched (Wow! Am I old or what?) and there is no question that career and technical programs have been decimated over that period. The push toward college hasn't been the sole cause of the dwindling of secondary level career and technical education programs (higher per pupil costs in these programs in a time of limited resources has also contributed) and it may be time to allow students (and their parents) to map futures more aligned with their interests and career goals.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Relatively Quiet Tuesday. While education-related committees have time slots on Tuesday, only one--the House Education Innovation Policy Committee--chose to meet. Representative Sondra Erickson's committee covered three reports from the Minnesota Department of Education. The first dealt with how school districts are doing with the World's Best Workforce Report. The second dealt with an annual report on Minnesota's special education program, detailing the number of students in each disability category along with information related to the new funding formula. The end of the report details the Governor's recommendation that an additional $40 million be invested in the per pupil component of the special education formula (that currently has a number of different components and hold-harmlesses--is harmlesses a word?). The last report centered on third grade reading results.
The documents distributed by the Minnesota Department of Education are all available on the Committee website:
House Education Innovation Policy Homepage
Simply go to the Tuesday, January 31, meeting agenda in the far right-hand column.
One thing I have seen thus far this session is that committees don't meet for the sake of meeting. If there are mandated reports, presentations by the administration or legislative staff, or bills to be heard, the committees meet. But they haven't been meeting simply to re-hash subjects that have been re-hashed mightily over the past few years. It appears that while there will obviously be conflict at some point between the Governor and the Legislature over philosophical differences, it doesn't appear that the Legislature will be loading up omnibus bills simply to have them punted back by the Governor through his veto power. Of course, it's still early. We're a little over a month in and everyone seems intent on making the situation work.
I guess I'll invoke a bad analogy. Every legislative session is like a jigsaw puzzle and the first thing that needs to be done for it to run smoothly is complete the border. Regardless of the composition of the Legislature and which party controls the Governor's office, there will always be those pesky sky pieces and flower bed patterns that make successful construction of the puzzle tricky, but once the border is constructed, the outer limits of the scene are established. With the Governor's budget presented and the Legislature working up its response, the border is almost complete and things will be taking shape shortly.
The documents distributed by the Minnesota Department of Education are all available on the Committee website:
House Education Innovation Policy Homepage
Simply go to the Tuesday, January 31, meeting agenda in the far right-hand column.
One thing I have seen thus far this session is that committees don't meet for the sake of meeting. If there are mandated reports, presentations by the administration or legislative staff, or bills to be heard, the committees meet. But they haven't been meeting simply to re-hash subjects that have been re-hashed mightily over the past few years. It appears that while there will obviously be conflict at some point between the Governor and the Legislature over philosophical differences, it doesn't appear that the Legislature will be loading up omnibus bills simply to have them punted back by the Governor through his veto power. Of course, it's still early. We're a little over a month in and everyone seems intent on making the situation work.
I guess I'll invoke a bad analogy. Every legislative session is like a jigsaw puzzle and the first thing that needs to be done for it to run smoothly is complete the border. Regardless of the composition of the Legislature and which party controls the Governor's office, there will always be those pesky sky pieces and flower bed patterns that make successful construction of the puzzle tricky, but once the border is constructed, the outer limits of the scene are established. With the Governor's budget presented and the Legislature working up its response, the border is almost complete and things will be taking shape shortly.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Monday Morning (You Look so Fine). Thought I'd kick off the week with a relatively obscure Fleetwood Mac lyric. Monday is a pretty quiet day in the education world, with only one committee meeting to go along with the House and Senate floor sessions where bills are introduced. Today's meeting in the Senate E-12 Finance Committee featured presentations from a variety of Career and Technical Education programs from around the state. The testimony from each of the groups was similar, with a special point made by the business owners who presented that they are having trouble finding workers. One of the on-going problems that seems to be related to this whole issue (and it was mentioned today) is that some segments of the business community seem to constantly push for more and more testing while others point out that they need workers. While there is some congruence between the two viewpoints, I have yet to be convinced that forcing high school juniors to take (and re-take and re-take) a mathematics examination that tests skills that they will never use. It was pointed out by one of the groups testifying that one of the barriers preventing more students from being able to enroll in career and technical programs is that they have to devote more time to clearing up problems on the academic side of their school ledgers. Hopefully, some of these things can be ironed out because there are a lot of very good jobs waiting for students who could take care of a good portion of their post-secondary career training while still in high school.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Oops! I apologize for not putting together a blog entry last Thursday. Things got a little backed up. Thursday featured two education-related hearings. The first was in the House Education Innovation Policy Committee, which covered Representative Jim Knoblach's HF 387 and Representative Sarah Anderson's HF 256. Both of these bills would expand the definition of eligible expenditures and income levels for Minnesota's education tax credit. Representative Knoblach's HF 387 would also increase the value of the tuition tax deduction.
The House Education Finance Committee also met and reviewed the Legislative Auditor's report on the Perpich Center for the Arts. Like the previous hearings in both House and Senate, the committee delved into the lack of internal controls that were cited by the Legislative Auditor in its report.
The House Education Finance Committee also met and reviewed the Legislative Auditor's report on the Perpich Center for the Arts. Like the previous hearings in both House and Senate, the committee delved into the lack of internal controls that were cited by the Legislative Auditor in its report.
Shout Out! Congratulations to Cannon Falls High School Social Studies/History teacher Heather Loeschke on being named Minnesota's Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Minnesota Council for Social Studies. Loeschke was also named a James Madison Memorial Fellowship winner. There are 58 award winners nationally, but Loeschke was the only Minnesota teacher to win a fellowship. As a graduate of Cannon Falls High School, I'm always proud to point out the great things that are happening in my hometown. So big-time props to Heather Loeschke whose dedication to the study of the US Constitution is simply awesome.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Governor's Budget Presented. The House and Senate education funding committees both devoted their committee time to presentation of the Governor's budget by Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The Governor has proposed over $600 million above base for the E-12 budget. I outlined those proposed appropriations yesterday, but to refresh your memory, the largest commitment is a 2% increase in the basic formula in each of the next two years, a $75 million increase in the voluntary pre-kindergarten program, and $68 million for helping school districts pay the employers' share of the deficit in the TRA fund. The Governor's tax proposal includes $60 million in increased debt service equalization to be phased-in over the next four years.
Here is a link to the document used by the Commissioner in her presentation.
Governor Dayton's 2017 E-12 Budget
MNSure Rebate Bill Negotiations Completed. However one feels about the particulars, it may be a good sign that the Governor and Legislature came to agreement relatively quickly on the MNSure rebate issue. There were obvious time constraints to get the work on the bill completed, but the way things have been going the past few years, deadlines haven't meant a whole lot and this may be a harbinger of greater cooperation throughout the session.
Here is a link to the document used by the Commissioner in her presentation.
Governor Dayton's 2017 E-12 Budget
MNSure Rebate Bill Negotiations Completed. However one feels about the particulars, it may be a good sign that the Governor and Legislature came to agreement relatively quickly on the MNSure rebate issue. There were obvious time constraints to get the work on the bill completed, but the way things have been going the past few years, deadlines haven't meant a whole lot and this may be a harbinger of greater cooperation throughout the session.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Governor's Budget Released. A day after the State of the State Address, Governor Dayton released his 2018-2019 biennial budget. The budget for education shows a strong overall commitment to the subject with additional funding for a wide range of programs. Here are the change items in the Governor's budget for E-12.
Here is the link to the E-12 budget book. The change items are found on pages 9 through 41.
2018-2019 E-12 Budget Proposal
Here is the link to all of the information on the on the 2018-2019 Governor's budget on the Minnesota Management and Budget web page.
Governor's 2018-2019 Budget Recommendations
Three Hearings. One Subject. All three of the education-related committees devoted their time to a bill introduced yesterday--HF 386/SF 256--that would make private school tuition eligible for reimbursement under Minnesota's Education Tax Credit. While a wide range of investments can be claimed under the program, private school tuition has never been allowable since the program was established in 1997. The argument for the expansion of the credit stems from the fact that low-income families with little or no tax liability get marginal benefit from the tuition tax deduction that has been in place in Minnesota since the 1950s.
The bill also contains tax incentives for companies to contribute to scholarship funds for low-income students.
While providing greater education choice to low-income families is a laudable goal, there are questions surrounding the proposal. That said, given the support it has among the majority caucuses at the Legislature, it will likely receive a lot of discussion during the session and it may find its way into the omnibus tax bill. Given the Governor's opposition during his tenure, it would hit a roadblock there but there will be a lot of tough negotiations as the session winds down in May (and hopefully doesn't extend into June).
On behalf of SEE, I testified against the legislation.
- A 2% increase in the general education basic formula in each of the next two years.
- A considerable expansion of $75 million over the biennium in the voluntary all-day pre-kindergarten program more than doubling the number of participants from 3,000 in FY 17 to 8,300 in FY 18 with projections of an additional 1,000 per year after that.
- A $40 million increase above base in the special education formula by adjusting the per pupil component of the formula upwards.
- $4.3 million increase for American Indian contract schools. The formula was increased in 2016, but the increases were sunset to hold down budget tails. This would make the formula changes enacted last year permanent.
- A $60 million increase in debt service equalization phased in over four years. This provision was included in his tax bill recommendations released earlier this month.
- $4 million increase in the Support our Students grant system passed last session.
- $1 million in each year of the biennium for Full Service Community Schools.
- $1.5 million in each year of the biennium for the Help Me Grow program.
- $500,000 increase in each year of the biennium for the Education Partnership Pilot Program.
- Expanded access to Early Childhood Scholarships for a wider age group with no new funding.
- $68 million increase over the biennium to help districts cope with costs related to balancing the Teachers Retirement Association fund. It is a positive sign that the Governor is suggesting this be handled outside of the increase in the General Education Basic Formula Amount.
- $3.25 million to update the mainframe computer at the Minnesota Department of Education.
- $1.5 million for development in an online IEP.
- $10.5 million to pay for increased obligations at the Minnesota Department of Education.
Here is the link to the E-12 budget book. The change items are found on pages 9 through 41.
2018-2019 E-12 Budget Proposal
Here is the link to all of the information on the on the 2018-2019 Governor's budget on the Minnesota Management and Budget web page.
Governor's 2018-2019 Budget Recommendations
Three Hearings. One Subject. All three of the education-related committees devoted their time to a bill introduced yesterday--HF 386/SF 256--that would make private school tuition eligible for reimbursement under Minnesota's Education Tax Credit. While a wide range of investments can be claimed under the program, private school tuition has never been allowable since the program was established in 1997. The argument for the expansion of the credit stems from the fact that low-income families with little or no tax liability get marginal benefit from the tuition tax deduction that has been in place in Minnesota since the 1950s.
The bill also contains tax incentives for companies to contribute to scholarship funds for low-income students.
While providing greater education choice to low-income families is a laudable goal, there are questions surrounding the proposal. That said, given the support it has among the majority caucuses at the Legislature, it will likely receive a lot of discussion during the session and it may find its way into the omnibus tax bill. Given the Governor's opposition during his tenure, it would hit a roadblock there but there will be a lot of tough negotiations as the session winds down in May (and hopefully doesn't extend into June).
On behalf of SEE, I testified against the legislation.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Scary Moment at the State of the State. Governor Dayton collapsed from dehydration near the end of his State of the State speech tonight. Before the speech prematurely ended at about the 45-minute mark, the Governor laid out his top priorities for the coming session. Included in these priorities is a 2% increase in each year of the biennium on the general education basic formula and an unspecified commitment to expanding access to early childhood education. It was great to see Marshall superintendent Scott Monson and his early childhood team present at the speech to receive recognition from the Governor for the district's commitment to providing greater access for pre-kindergarten learners.
Other items mentioned by the Governor included a fix for health insurance premium sites, increased funding for higher education, long-term resources to invest in our transportation system, and a substantial bonding bill. Some of these items will obviously clash with the Legislature's vision and it will be interesting to see how these inevitable confrontations play out.
Monday Hearing. The Senate E-12 Finance Committee spent today's committee time on programs that aim to assure students are reading by the end of third grade. Testimony was also taken from groups that represent students with dyslexia and ServeMinnesota/Reading Corps. It was a very interesting hearing with lots of data presented showing what works in pursuit of the state's reading goals.
Here is a link to the materials presented at the hearing.
Senate E-12 Finance Committee--Monday, January 23, 2017, Hearing
Other items mentioned by the Governor included a fix for health insurance premium sites, increased funding for higher education, long-term resources to invest in our transportation system, and a substantial bonding bill. Some of these items will obviously clash with the Legislature's vision and it will be interesting to see how these inevitable confrontations play out.
Monday Hearing. The Senate E-12 Finance Committee spent today's committee time on programs that aim to assure students are reading by the end of third grade. Testimony was also taken from groups that represent students with dyslexia and ServeMinnesota/Reading Corps. It was a very interesting hearing with lots of data presented showing what works in pursuit of the state's reading goals.
Here is a link to the materials presented at the hearing.
Senate E-12 Finance Committee--Monday, January 23, 2017, Hearing
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
You can see from today's introductions that it was a big day for bills relating to increasing tax deductions relating to tuition and contributions to scholarships to private schools along with an increase and expansion of Minnesota's education tax credit to make tuition payments to private schools eligible for reimbursement under the program. It is School Choice Week in Minnesota and all of these bills will be heard tomorrow in both the House and the Senate. Could be a long day with a lot of testimony.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Perpich School Under Scrutiny. The Office of the Legislative Auditor has released its report on the Perpich Center for Arts Education and the report points out some problems that have arisen at the school. Several of the issues deal with the decision by the Center to undertake a formal relationship with the Crosswinds Arts and Science School, a charter school that has been managed by the Perpich Center since the East Metro Integration District was disbanded. The Legislative Auditor's report was heard in both the House Education Innovation Policy Committee and the Senate E-12 Policy Committee.
Here is a link to the report:
Executive Summary
Full Report
The House Education Finance Committee heard from a number of groups on programs that supply college credit to high school students, including Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, Concurrent Enrollment, and Advanced Placement. With the five-year reprieve from the Higher Learning Commission requirement that instructors of concurrent enrollment classes to have either a Master's Degree or eighteen credits in the curricular area they are teaching for college credit, the discussion surrounding these programs will certainly pick up steam.
House Passes Health Insurance Premium Relief Bill. The full House passed SF 1--the bill that would provide relief to MN Sure clients who have experienced large premium increases--on a vote of 73-54 (straight party line) this afternoon. The bill will now go to a conference committee to iron out differences between the House and Senate bills. The challenge for the Legislature will be to construct a bill that will get the Governor's approval. This is a pressing matter, as the enrollment period for MN Sure ends on January 30 and everyone involved would like to have this issue resolved by then. The primary difference between the Governor and the Legislature appears to be over how the rebate will be delivered. The Governor would like insurance companies to simply drop the premium by 25% for those consumers that are affected by the increases while the Legislature wants the consumers to apply for the rebates and have their incomes verified before receiving the rebate. This will be the first test of whether the process can "get to yes" on major issues.
Here is a link to the report:
Executive Summary
Full Report
The House Education Finance Committee heard from a number of groups on programs that supply college credit to high school students, including Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, Concurrent Enrollment, and Advanced Placement. With the five-year reprieve from the Higher Learning Commission requirement that instructors of concurrent enrollment classes to have either a Master's Degree or eighteen credits in the curricular area they are teaching for college credit, the discussion surrounding these programs will certainly pick up steam.
House Passes Health Insurance Premium Relief Bill. The full House passed SF 1--the bill that would provide relief to MN Sure clients who have experienced large premium increases--on a vote of 73-54 (straight party line) this afternoon. The bill will now go to a conference committee to iron out differences between the House and Senate bills. The challenge for the Legislature will be to construct a bill that will get the Governor's approval. This is a pressing matter, as the enrollment period for MN Sure ends on January 30 and everyone involved would like to have this issue resolved by then. The primary difference between the Governor and the Legislature appears to be over how the rebate will be delivered. The Governor would like insurance companies to simply drop the premium by 25% for those consumers that are affected by the increases while the Legislature wants the consumers to apply for the rebates and have their incomes verified before receiving the rebate. This will be the first test of whether the process can "get to yes" on major issues.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Committee Reports. The two education committees that met today--the House E-12 Finance Committee and the Senate E-12 Funding Division--heard reports from various stakeholders in Minnesota's education arena.
The House Education Finance Committee listened to an overview of Minnesota's charter school network; what differentiates them from traditional public schools in terms of requirements and organization.
The Senate E-12 Finance Committee held a joint committee meeting with the Senate Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy. The meeting was dedicated to areas where the health and human services system and education systems work together. Much of this work comes in the area where childcare and early education intersect. The committees heard from several sites where the two systems are working together well to meet the needs of students and their families.
Lifelong Learning. The Economist put together a great special report on lifelong learning in its latest issue. One of the challenges for workers in the modern workforce is to keep their skills sharp and relevant in an ever-changing economy. This set of articles has a lot of very good insight (we wouldn't expect less from The Economist?) With President-elect Trump talking about the need for career and technical education and state policymakers also looking to find ways to enhance applied learning opportunities, this material couldn't come at a more opportune time.
I have linked the six articles that comprise the report below:
Lifelong Learning Has Become and Economic Imperative
What Employers Can Do to Encourage Their Workers to Retrain
How Older Employees Perform in the Workplace
Established Education Providers v. New Contenders
Turning Qualifications into Jobs
Retraining Low-Skilled Workers
The House Education Finance Committee listened to an overview of Minnesota's charter school network; what differentiates them from traditional public schools in terms of requirements and organization.
The Senate E-12 Finance Committee held a joint committee meeting with the Senate Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy. The meeting was dedicated to areas where the health and human services system and education systems work together. Much of this work comes in the area where childcare and early education intersect. The committees heard from several sites where the two systems are working together well to meet the needs of students and their families.
Lifelong Learning. The Economist put together a great special report on lifelong learning in its latest issue. One of the challenges for workers in the modern workforce is to keep their skills sharp and relevant in an ever-changing economy. This set of articles has a lot of very good insight (we wouldn't expect less from The Economist?) With President-elect Trump talking about the need for career and technical education and state policymakers also looking to find ways to enhance applied learning opportunities, this material couldn't come at a more opportune time.
I have linked the six articles that comprise the report below:
Lifelong Learning Has Become and Economic Imperative
What Employers Can Do to Encourage Their Workers to Retrain
How Older Employees Perform in the Workplace
Established Education Providers v. New Contenders
Turning Qualifications into Jobs
Retraining Low-Skilled Workers
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Back to Work. The three-day weekend is over and the Legislature reconvened today with a full set of hearings and floor sessions. The Education Innovation Committee met this morning and went over the recommendations of the Legislative Study Group on Educator Licensing. The report is not particularly long and it doesn't contain specific recommendations as to where a single licensing entity should be located (Board of Teaching or Minnesota Department of Education) or provide the exact outline of a tiered-licensure system, but it does give a framework from which the Legislature will be able to pursue and complete the task for streamlining Minnesota's educator licensing system and helping clarify what teaching candidates need to complete before being granted a full Minnesota teacher license.
Here is a link to the report: 2016 Report of Legislative Study Group on Educator Licensing
The House Education Finance Committee devoted its hearing to the early education issue, with presentations from the Minnesota Department of Education and Ericca Maas from Parent Aware for School Readiness. There will be a lot of debate as the session continues over the proper direction for early childhood education and whether early childhood scholarships are better than (or perhaps mutually exclusive from) school-based programs paid for by increased pupil weighting.
The Senate Education Policy Committee covered the report from the Career and Technical Educator Licensing Task Force. This report has some very specific recommendations that will likely dovetail with the larger teacher licensure questions that were raised by the Legislative Study Group on Educator Licensing. Foremost among these recommendations are:
There was another interesting hearing outside of the education committees that may well have an effect on the education community. The House Health and Human Services Policy Committee heard the report of the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health. Like many reports, this one is not heavy on focused recommendations, but it does provide a framework from which more effective and transparent mental health care can be available for Minnesota citizens. Schools will play a role in this system and that was made clear from the testimony and questions from legislators.
Here is a link to that report: Governor's Task Force on Mental Health Report
Here is a link to the report: 2016 Report of Legislative Study Group on Educator Licensing
The House Education Finance Committee devoted its hearing to the early education issue, with presentations from the Minnesota Department of Education and Ericca Maas from Parent Aware for School Readiness. There will be a lot of debate as the session continues over the proper direction for early childhood education and whether early childhood scholarships are better than (or perhaps mutually exclusive from) school-based programs paid for by increased pupil weighting.
The Senate Education Policy Committee covered the report from the Career and Technical Educator Licensing Task Force. This report has some very specific recommendations that will likely dovetail with the larger teacher licensure questions that were raised by the Legislative Study Group on Educator Licensing. Foremost among these recommendations are:
- Consideration of alternative requirements to be a career and technical education instructor short of a baccalaureate degree.
- Allowing two-year accredited institutions to offer content-related teacher preparation programs for prospective career and technical educators.
- Creation of incentives for eligible institutions to provide alternative paths to licensure.
There was another interesting hearing outside of the education committees that may well have an effect on the education community. The House Health and Human Services Policy Committee heard the report of the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health. Like many reports, this one is not heavy on focused recommendations, but it does provide a framework from which more effective and transparent mental health care can be available for Minnesota citizens. Schools will play a role in this system and that was made clear from the testimony and questions from legislators.
Here is a link to that report: Governor's Task Force on Mental Health Report
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Senate
Federal Watch. The confirmation hearing for Secretary-designee Betsy Devos began on Wednesday and it sounds like it was a free-wheeling affair. I will say this about the Secretary-designee. Whatever her positions, I have never seen a reaction to a proposed Secretary of Education like this one.
Here is an article from The New York Times website on today's hearing: Betsy Devos' Education Hearing Erupts into Partisan Debate
And here is an article from The New Republic (which is left-of-center) on Ms. Devos' career: Betsy Devos is Not a Mainstream School Reformer
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Triple-Header. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be triple-headers on the schedules of education lobbyists this session, with the House Education Innovation Policy Committee meeting at 8:15 AM, the House Education Finance Committee meeting at 1:00 PM, and the Senate Education Policy Committee meeting at 4:00. There are also floor sessions in both the House and Senate on Thursdays as well, so things are hopping all day long.
The House Education Innovation Policy Committee received an outline of the committee's jurisdiction and the description of the duties of a variety of education-related boards and commissions this morning from new House education counsel Cristina Parra. Ms. Parra is replacing long-time House education counsel Lisa Larson who held the position for 30 years. The committee also heard from several education groups that did not testify during Tuesday's hearing.
The House Education Finance Committee held a joint hearing with the House Education Innovation Policy Committee in one of the new Capitol hearing rooms in the early afternoon. If this room is any indication, the refurbished Capitol hearing rooms are fantastic. The agenda consisted entirely of Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius giving a status report on a number of initiatives that the Legislature passed last biennium.
Senate Education Policy Chair Eric Pratt's committee took more testimony from education stakeholders. I provided SEE's testimony on Tuesday and there were a lot of common themes coming from most education groups: (1) teacher shortage, (2) other teacher licensure issues, and (3) greater flexibility for school districts.
Given the schedule, I couldn't get over to the MSBA convention today. Hopefully, the weather won't stall my car and I can see a lot of SEE folks tomorrow morning.
Recommendations of Legislative Study Group on Teacher Licensing. The report and recommendations are complete and the document will be presented next Tuesday in the House Education Innovation Policy Committee. I wish I could figure out how to post it here, but I should be able to get it out to everyone by the weekend.
The House Education Innovation Policy Committee received an outline of the committee's jurisdiction and the description of the duties of a variety of education-related boards and commissions this morning from new House education counsel Cristina Parra. Ms. Parra is replacing long-time House education counsel Lisa Larson who held the position for 30 years. The committee also heard from several education groups that did not testify during Tuesday's hearing.
The House Education Finance Committee held a joint hearing with the House Education Innovation Policy Committee in one of the new Capitol hearing rooms in the early afternoon. If this room is any indication, the refurbished Capitol hearing rooms are fantastic. The agenda consisted entirely of Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius giving a status report on a number of initiatives that the Legislature passed last biennium.
Senate Education Policy Chair Eric Pratt's committee took more testimony from education stakeholders. I provided SEE's testimony on Tuesday and there were a lot of common themes coming from most education groups: (1) teacher shortage, (2) other teacher licensure issues, and (3) greater flexibility for school districts.
Given the schedule, I couldn't get over to the MSBA convention today. Hopefully, the weather won't stall my car and I can see a lot of SEE folks tomorrow morning.
Recommendations of Legislative Study Group on Teacher Licensing. The report and recommendations are complete and the document will be presented next Tuesday in the House Education Innovation Policy Committee. I wish I could figure out how to post it here, but I should be able to get it out to everyone by the weekend.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
House
Wednesday Introductions
Thursday Introductions
Senate
Wednesday Introductions
Thursday Introductions
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
A Double Header of Hearings. The House Education Funding Committee's hearing was once again dedicated to a tutorial conducted by Tim Strom and Emily Adriaens. I will post the Powerpoint used to describe Minnesota's education funding system once it is put on the committee's website.
The Senate Education E-12 Funding Committee featured a presentation by Mark Haveman, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence on a 2015 report from the organization entitled How Much is Enough? The Implications of School District Labor Cost Trends for State Education Aid. The report is fairly straightforward, but it takes a few pages to get to the main point of the report, which is given the cost structure of Minnesota's education labor market there is an impending resource shortage if the cost structure isn't altered. The report provides some recommendations, mostly surrounding the need to move away from the unified step-and-lane salary schedules used in a vast majority of school districts and to make certain that categorical revenue is used efficiently to meet the intended needs of these formulas.
Something the report doesn't say (but it may infer) is that the property tax may need to play a larger role in education funding. For that to happen, there will need to be more revenue dedicated to the referendum equalization program. This discussion puts me in the Way Back Machine with Mr. Peabody (come to think of it, I kind of look like Sherman) to the year 2001 when the Ventura Administration got rid of the general education levy and made the basic formula totally dependent on state aid. A lot of us warned policy makers of what might happen if the formula became too dependent on state aid and, sure enough, within a year, the state was short on revenue and there was no general education levy to fall back upon to provide additional resources to school districts. On top of that, districts that could pass referenda soon began to widen the revenue gap between themselves and districts that couldn't, which was largely a function of equalization factors not being adjusted upward to reflect the statewide growth in property tax wealth.
With the upward adjustment of the first tier referendum equalizing factor in 2013 and the creation of local option revenue in 2014, the gap that had grown throughout the first decade of the 21st century narrowed dramatically. If we don't continue to pay attention and keep adjusting the equalization factors to reflect statewide property wealth growth, these gains in terms of equity may be sacrificed in the name of adequacy, and it will only be adequacy for some (those fortunate enough to pass referenda).
Here is a link to the report: MCFE Report on Education Labor Costs
The Senate Education E-12 Funding Committee featured a presentation by Mark Haveman, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence on a 2015 report from the organization entitled How Much is Enough? The Implications of School District Labor Cost Trends for State Education Aid. The report is fairly straightforward, but it takes a few pages to get to the main point of the report, which is given the cost structure of Minnesota's education labor market there is an impending resource shortage if the cost structure isn't altered. The report provides some recommendations, mostly surrounding the need to move away from the unified step-and-lane salary schedules used in a vast majority of school districts and to make certain that categorical revenue is used efficiently to meet the intended needs of these formulas.
Something the report doesn't say (but it may infer) is that the property tax may need to play a larger role in education funding. For that to happen, there will need to be more revenue dedicated to the referendum equalization program. This discussion puts me in the Way Back Machine with Mr. Peabody (come to think of it, I kind of look like Sherman) to the year 2001 when the Ventura Administration got rid of the general education levy and made the basic formula totally dependent on state aid. A lot of us warned policy makers of what might happen if the formula became too dependent on state aid and, sure enough, within a year, the state was short on revenue and there was no general education levy to fall back upon to provide additional resources to school districts. On top of that, districts that could pass referenda soon began to widen the revenue gap between themselves and districts that couldn't, which was largely a function of equalization factors not being adjusted upward to reflect the statewide growth in property tax wealth.
With the upward adjustment of the first tier referendum equalizing factor in 2013 and the creation of local option revenue in 2014, the gap that had grown throughout the first decade of the 21st century narrowed dramatically. If we don't continue to pay attention and keep adjusting the equalization factors to reflect statewide property wealth growth, these gains in terms of equity may be sacrificed in the name of adequacy, and it will only be adequacy for some (those fortunate enough to pass referenda).
Here is a link to the report: MCFE Report on Education Labor Costs
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Hearings Update. As reported yesterday, the two education policy-related committees--the House Education Innovation Policy Committee and the Senate Education Policy Committee--held their first hearings today. Both committees' time was dedicated to having the members of the committee introduce themselves, introducing staff members, going over the procedures that will be followed by the committee and testimony from a variety of education stakeholders (including SEE). The House E-12 Funding Committee also held its first hearing and the proceedings were similar with the sole difference being the committee did not hear from stakeholders, but instead got a tutorial on Minnesota's education funding system from longtime House Research analyst Tim Strom and new House fiscal analyst Emily Adriaens.
Tomorrow's hearings will feature more of the same, with the only education-related committees on tap are the two finance divisions. The House will continue its tutorial with staff while the Senate will hear from Mark Haveman, Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, on cost trends in public education.
Tomorrow's hearings will feature more of the same, with the only education-related committees on tap are the two finance divisions. The House will continue its tutorial with staff while the Senate will hear from Mark Haveman, Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, on cost trends in public education.
Monday, January 09, 2017
First Hearing of the Year. The Senate E-12 Funding Committee had its first meeting of the year and it was also the first hearing for any education-related committee this session. The agenda featured testimony from Amelia Cruver from Minnesota Management and Budget and Dr. Tom Melcher from the Minnesota Department of Education. Their testimony dealt with the increases in the base budget for E-12 education in the coming biennium and where the increases are coming from. The two biggest drivers of increased funding in the budget is the third year phase-in of the Long Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue program and pupil growth. Dr. Melcher also discussed the Governor's proposal to increase debt service equalization by lowering the second-tier eligibility threshold. A number of SEE districts do very well with this proposed change and as I said in a blog entry last week, SEE is extremely appreciative of the Governor's decision to include this provision in his tax proposal.
There will be three education-related hearings tomorrow. The House Education Innovation Policy Committee meets tomorrow morning at 8:15 AM. The House E-12 Funding Committee meets at 1:00 PM. The day wraps up with the Senate Education Policy Committee at 3:00 PM. The policy committees will be taking testimony from a variety of education organizations outlining their priorities for the 2017 legislative session.
Bill Introductions--January 9, 2017
There will be three education-related hearings tomorrow. The House Education Innovation Policy Committee meets tomorrow morning at 8:15 AM. The House E-12 Funding Committee meets at 1:00 PM. The day wraps up with the Senate Education Policy Committee at 3:00 PM. The policy committees will be taking testimony from a variety of education organizations outlining their priorities for the 2017 legislative session.
Bill Introductions--January 9, 2017
House
Senate
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