By: Charlie Kyte
This audioblog is 9 minutes long. To hear a segment, click 'play' and slide to the correct time. Highly Qualified Teachers is at the beginning; Length of School Year at 3:00; Statewide Health Insurance at 4:00; and Special Education at 6:30.
FEDS FORCE MDE TO CHANGE THE HIGHLY QUALIFIED (HOUSSE) PROCESS: The biggest change Minnesota will be required to make involves our elementary teachers that began teaching prior to 2001. All of these teachers will have to go through the HOUSSE process, as they didn't take the PRAXIS Qualification test. We should be able to get all of the teachers qualified, but it will require a bit of a 'paper chase' during May and June. The new guidance document on HOUSSE is due to come out from the MDE in early April.
LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR: Representative Barb Sykora gave us a full hour to present our bill to increase the length of the school year. Superintendents Ted Blaesing of White Bear Lake and Mark Bezek of Fergus Falls were our lead testifiers. They did an excellent job and handled the many questions coming from the representatives. The bill was laid over and won't advance any further this year.
STATEWIDE HEALTH INSURANCE: Rep Davids, one of the co-chairs of the legislative work group that studied statewide health insurance options last summer, called a special meeting of that group. They passed a motion to recommend that either the mandatory statewide health insurance bill, or a bill authorizing school districts to join the state employees health group be forwarded to a committee. We think the committee that would hear either of these bills would be the House Education Policy Committee, but it is unlikely for either to be heard.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ACTION IN THE SENATE: On Thursday afternoon the technical bill from the MDE was to be heard. Within this bill were a number of enhanced regulations regarding special education. A number of the Associations asked for this language to be removed from the bill, and Commissioner Seagren agreed to do so. The Senate Committee then heard a bill to repeal the statute in Minnesota that always places the burden of proof on school districts when there is a special education hearing. Kirk Schneidawind of MSBA coordinated the testimony on this bill and MASA/MASE member Daryl Miller testified in support of repealing this statute. Of course the advocacy groups testified against the repeal. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the Senate Omnibus Education Bill.
MINNEAPOLIS PENSION FIX: A separate message from MASA will come out today as an advisory to members regarding the possible 'rolling in' of the Minneapolis Pension Fund into TRA. Watch for it.
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