Voice of MN Education

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-Highly Qualified Teachers, Length of School Year, Statewide Health Insurance and Special Education

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.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-MASA Metro Meeting & College in the Schools scuffle

By: Charlie Kyte
This audioblog is 9 minutes long.  To go directly to the Concurrent College 'in the schools' issue, click to play and advance the time bar to 1:45.

MASA METRO MEETING--HOW TO COUNTER A NEGATIVE REFERENDUM EFFORT: Les Norman of Lake Crystal-Welcome, Karen Orcutt of Orono, and George Ladd of Howard Lake Waverly provided an excellent program to the Metro area MASA members on their experiences in running referendums when Paul Dorr was hired to attempt to defeat the referendums.

SCUFFLE WITH MNSCU COLLEGE SYSTEM OVER CONCURRENT COLLEGE COURSES IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS: Recently, the MnSCU system passed a new policy that would require future teachers of college courses in the 2 year colleges and in concurrent college programs to have a master's degree in their subject area major, plus another 16 graduate credits. Many HS teachers have masters degrees, but most are in Curriculum and Instruction rather than in the subject matter major area.

Although they wouldn't say so directly, we believe that this was done to squeeze down the number of college courses now being offered in our High Schools in what are called 'concurrent agreements' with the colleges.  Rep. Sieffert from southwest Minnesota, and an employee of SW State University has challenged this initiative by introducing a Bill to prohibit the implementation of this policy.

I testified on behalf of this Bill in the House Higher Education Committee on Wednesday.  Over the objections of the MnSCU system, the committee passed this Bill and sent it to the House Education Policy Committee for a hearing next week.  I was surprised that Education Minnesota did not testify in protest over this new MnSCU policy, but then I realized that the 2 year college educators are also in one of their associated unions.   It is too bad that they had this conflict and thus could not stand up in defense of the excellent college in the High Schools programs that will be hurt by this policy change.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-Wednesday, March 22, 2006

By: Charlie Kyte

This audioblog is 6 3/4 minutes long.  Information about the Award to the St. Paul Schools is at 3:00, the schedule for Wendnesday starts at 4:00 and a short comment about an upcoming meeting with US Senator Norm Coleman is at 6:30.

This is Kirk Schneidawind, one of the very able MSBA Lobbyists as he is working in the Government Relations room at the State Capitol as we are both preparing for upcoming Hearings.

ELK RIVER PROPOSAL TO SPLIT THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT:  This is a proposal from the Rogers area of the Elk River School District to split their section of the District off from the whole school district.  This is an important policy question that goes well beyond the Elk River Schools.  The question is:  Should the State set up a mechanism for school districts to undergo a process to sub divide themselves, or should the State not enable this type of process to happen.  This decision will have significant effects for rural consolidated districts and suburban districts experiencing growth at their outer edges.

ST. PAUL DISTRICT RECEIVES THE AASA 'CIVIC STAR' AWARD:  I had the opportunity to make a presentation to the St. Paul School Board on Tuesday evening.  St. Paul has a particularly effective community partnership and they were recognized nationally at the AASA National Conference on Education in February.  I was able to represent the award locally and also comment on how successful the t. Paul schools have been as an urban school district.

WEDNESDAYS SCHEDULE:  The Senate Ed Finance Committee will hear bills on Equity revenue, Early Childhood funding and Class Size reduction Aid this morning. 

I will testify in the House Higher Ed Committee at noon on the MnSCU's attempt to limit Concurrent College Course teachers by requiring all of these teachers to have a masters degree in their subject area plus 16 additional credits.  Many of our HS teachers with concurrent college courses have masters degrees in areas such as curriculum and instruction.  This initiative will make it harder for schools to offer concurrent enrollment courses in our High Schools.

Finally, the Minneapolis-TRA Pension Bill will be heard in the House Ed Finance Committee this afternoon.  MASA will provide an advisory to all members this Firday in regard to this Bill.

MASA FEDERAL ADVOCACY COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO MEET WITH SENATOR NORM COLEMAN:  This meeting has been set for April 11th and a delegation of our members will share our ongoing concerns about Federal regulations on our schools without adequate funding to get the jobs completed.

MASA LEGISLATIVE COMMITEE @ THE CAPITOL-March 20, 2006

By: Charlie Kyte

  This audioblog is 7 1/2 minutes long

Members of the MASA Legislative Committee listen to Senator Steve Kelley discuss the prospects for education legislation.

Representative Randy Demmer speaking to the Legislative Committee.

WHY WE MAY NOT SEE EITHER A K-12 EDUCATION BILL OR A TAX RELIEF BILL THIS YEAR:

K-12 Bill: You cannot easily have a finance Bill coming out of one of the committees unless 'targets' for spending are set first.  There is a concern that no targets will be set until it is too late to put a Bill together, bring it into the conference committee setting and then reaching the compromises necessary to pass it into law.

Tax Relief problem: If the Senate concentrates on providing tax relief through the 'Local Government Aid' (LGA) process, and the House uses a variety of school tax relief mechanisms, the Bills will be in two separate conference committees.  It will be hard to settle these differences if they need to be handled in two different committees.

Nothing in K-12 needs to be done in this session: Indeed, if there is no K-12 Bill or a Tax Relief Bill, there is really little harm (or help) for public education.  Thus it is possible that no Bill will be agreed to by the House, the Senate and the Governor.

MASA LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE DAY @THE CAPITOL

By: Charlie Kyte

This Audioblo is 5 1/2 minutes long

Legislators and staff speaking to the Legislative Committee:

Senators Leroy Stumpf and Senator Steve Kelley

Representatives Barbara Sykora and Randy Demmer

House staff analysts Greg Crowe and Tim Strom, and Senate Counsel Shelby Wienecki

MASA and Other Bills (Begins at 2:15)

Next Update will be on Monday evening, reporting on what the legislative committee members learned at the Capitol during the day.

Minnesota's beautiful State Capitol Building, designed by the the great acrchitect Cass Gilbert, is 100 years old.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE- Avian Flu and Bill introductions

By: Charlie Kyte
Total time of Audioblog is 6 minutes 20 seconds.

AVIAN FLU MEETING AT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Bob Meeks of MSBA and I represented public schools at this planning meeting.  There were also representatives of the private schools, charter schools and home schools.  Representatives from the MN Departments of Public Health and the Department of Homeland Security were present as well.

Health experts are predicting that 'Bird to Bird' transmission of the Avian Flu will ocur on the north american continent in the next 3 weeks to 2 months.

The Minnesota Government planners are working on plans to cover three (3) scenario's of Flu outbreak:

          1) 'Bird to Bird' Transmission only

          2) Moderate 'Bird to Human' Transmission with moderate illness and only a few deaths

          3) Severe 'Bird to Human' Transmission with 30 of the population very sick and up to 2% of those sick actually dying.

The Department of Education (MDE) asked us for advise on how to plan and how to communicate with schools.  Bob and I indicated that the department needed to identify about 5 specific actions they wanted schools to take now.  Further it was indicated that schools should begin now to emphasize prevention of the spread of disease.  The MDE will also collect more information on what it has the authority to direct schools to do in case of any of the scenario's above.

School Leaders should be prepared to answer questions from the public about their districts planning process when the first 'bird to bird' cases are reported in the USA.  It is time for us to get to work on this!

LEGISLATIVE BILL INTRODUCTIONS

The MASA Bills to phase in the funding for all day/ every day Kindergarten; to lengthen the school year; and to enhance the school funding formulas by 1% were all introduced this week.  Valerie Dosland, the MASA lobbyist, is now seeking Hearings for each of these Bills.

LEGISLATION UNDER DISCUSSION

The Pension Bills come before committee on Wednesday.  An attempt will be made to hold the school districts financially harmless in regard to the Minneapolis Pension 'roll in' to TRA.

The House Education Finance Committee will hear Bills to provide school property tax relief.  Ideas include changing the capital funding from levy to aid; to increase the equity factors thus increasing the percentage of aid versus levy; and to increase the States committment to provide debt redemption equity.

The Senate Education Policy Committee heard the MDE's Bill today.  Most of the Bill was technical in nature and non-controversial.  Two sticking points, from our point of view, were a requirement for schools to report all students engaged in threatening/ violent acts even though there was no expulsion from school (Student withdraws voluntarily); and additional regulatory language involving specila edication rules.

MASA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-MARCH 10, 2006

By: Charlie Kyte

CHARLIE ATTENDS LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON:

Charlie had the opportunity to attend the annual legislative luncheon sponsored by the Lockridge, Grindal and Nauen Law Firm on Friday.  Senate Finance Chair Dick Cohen and House Speaker Steve Sviggum were the speakers.  Both represented the legislature, and their caucuses well.

     ** Senator Cohen:  In spite of the rosy picture painted by some, the Minnesota State budget is still fragile.  The looming Supreme Court decision on if the cigarettee fee/ tax is legal is a big issue.  If this fee/tax is found unconstitutional, it will punch a $370 million hole in the budget.  In addition, job growth in Minnesota is significantly trailing the national trend.  It is jobs that produce both income and sales tax revenues.

     **Speaker Sviggum:  Legislators are often elected from platforms at the extreme edges of their politcal parties.  However you must govern from the mainstream.  He has felt plenty of push from both the conservatives in his own party as well as from the democrats.  In this legislative session he is hoping to bring many issues to a vote.  He would like to see 'up' or 'down' votes on stadiums, constitutional amendments, a bonding bill and other issues.  He feels that legislators should own their votes and then go back to their districts and stand for election based on how they voted.

VOTES IN THE HOUSE EDUCATION POLICY COMMITTEE:

There were several votes this week on Bill before the House Edcuation Committee.

     ** To require 70% of spending in classrooms.................passed on 15-14 vote

     ** Prohibit teacher negotiations during the school year....failed on 14-15 vote

     ** Strengthen the 'Structural Balance' Statute...............passed easily

     ** Allow an alternative teacher licensure process..........passed unanimously

GOVERNOR'S 'STATE OF THE STATE' SPEECH:

The Governor dedicated quite a bit of his speech on Thursday to education.  He proposed a 10 school district pilot for K-12 AP/International Baccalaureate Programs, and a 5 High School pilots for complete HS Re-Design.  He also proposed revising the standards to require Algeba and Chemistry for all students and encouraged the MDE, and schools to begin incorporating Mandarin Chinese into their World Language Programs.

We were less enthused abouot his proposal to specify 70% of spending in classrooms and to allow an urban voucher program for the poorest of children.

Overall the Governor's speech emphasized Minnesota's tradition of innovation and encouraged the continual redesign of government systems in this time of rapid change.

Introduction:  This is Becky Fitch, who is working as an intern with MASA through the legislative session.  She is a graduate student at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.

MASA AUDIO/ TEXT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-MARCH 6, 2006

By: Charlie Kyte, MASA Executive Director

You can read a brief synopsis or click on the audioblog below to hear Charlie discuss today's report!

Legislative Leadership Meetings:

There have been a whole series of meetings between the group of lobbyists representing education interests and the legislative leaders.  The group, called the BELL Group, has met with Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum, Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, and will soon be meeting with the Education Finance Committee chairs as well.  We are getting a good idea of what may, or may not, be possible in each house of the legislature.  In addition, MASA has met with representatives of the Governor's office and tomorrow we will be briefed on the MDE's education Bill.  Below is a brief summary of what we have been hearing.

Education Funding possibilities are slowly emerging: There is an interest by the leadership to protect the restoration of the school funding shifts that are now in law and underway.  The biggest interest in any new spending by the legislature is in the area of tax relief.  Their choices are to increase the local government aids (LGA), provide direct homeowner relief or reduce the school levies.  Obviously, with appropriate equalization, the third choice would be best for the schools.

In addition, there is a slight possibility of the legislature approving some 'one time' funding for energy expenses or a slight enhancement of the general aid formulas.  It is too soon to tell if either of these is a realistic possibility.

Minneapolis Teachers Pension Issue:

The Governor, the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader all feel the time has come to solve the Minneapolis Pension issue. However, we are also getting the signal that some modifications to the existing proposal could be made that would make the solution less burdensome to the TRA covered schools and members.

Statewide Health Insurance...'Is a compromise possible?':

Without any intervention, the Mandatory Statewide Health Insurance Bill will be introduced onto the House floor late in the legislative session and will have a possibility of passage.  Then it would go to the Senate where it would pass.  In the end, the Bill could end up on the Governor's desk for either signature or veto.

We believe the Governor will propose, in his 'State of the State' speech on Wednesday, some type of compromise solution.  School Districts and the state associations will want to consider this proposal carefully as a possible compromise to the mandatory idea.  The Governor will probably propose a 'voluntary' solution.

MASA LEGISLATIVE AUDIO UPDATE-MARCH 2, 2006

By: Charlie Kyte, Executive Director, MASA

Superintendent's Ken Dragseth, Edina and Gary Prest, Bloomington present testomony opposing the Bill requiring that 70% of all school expenditures be made in classroom related activities.  MASA feels that this Bill would reduce local school board decision authority.

MASA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE-Wednesday, March 1

THIS IS MASA'S NEW WEBLOG AND AUDIOLOG

You can now see MASA's regular legislative updates right on the internet.  Just go to the MASA website (www.mnasa.org) and click on our BLOG.

We will also be posting an AUDIBLOG two to three times a week during the legislative session.  Again go to the website and just click the Blog site.  Then click the 'audio' player button and listen to Charlie describe the events at the Capitol as they unfold.  For those of you who are really sophisticated, automatically sync your ipods to this Blog.  Then you can listen as you drive home or evenas you lay restlessly in your beds at night.

2006 MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGAN TODAY:

The state capitol is now formally open for business.  At 12:00 today both the Minnesota state Senate and the House of Representatives came into session with brief opening ceremonies on the floor of each chamber.  Elected officials were dressed in their Sunday best, the new pages scrambled to find their places and lobbyists surged around the chamber entrances.

AFSME, the state employees union held a rousing rally in the capitol rotunda with their cheers and jeers echoing throughout the capitol.

We will now see a few hearings and then a diminished level of activity as the legislators prepare for the local precinct caucuses scheduled for next Tuesday evening, March 7th.

STATE BUDGET FORECAST REMAINS IN THE BLACK

The February budget forecast showed some growth.  The overall new $'s available for the biannium come to $181 million.  Of this, $93 million is already slated to reverse the rest of the school funding shift that was created during the past budget crisis.  About $88 million is available for new state funding.

INTEGRATION AID UNDER SCRUTINY

The House Education Finance Committee held a hearing on Integration Aid and heard a report from the Legislative Auditors Office.  The Auditors found that the aid was being spread around without a close correlation to real need.  Their assessment showed widely varying levels of aid as compared to minority enrollments in school districts.  They also cited the Department of Education for lax oversight of this program. 

Expect a tightening of conditions for access to this aid and new levels of MDE oversight. In reviewing the analysis, we noticed that one district with a total enrollment of less than 500 students, and only 1 minority student received over $40,000 in aid, while other school districts with minority enrollments of over 20% received no aid at all.  It looks like there is some fine tuning to be done with this program.

MINNEAPOLIS PENSION FUND

The Pension Commission passed a Bill to role the Minneapolis Pension Fund into TRA as of June 30, 2006.  In the next few weeks the House will have hearings on this Bill and either pass it or amend it.  The Bill, if passed by the full House then would go to the Conference Committee for reconcilliation.

MASA is closely studying the language of this Bill and will bring information forward to our members in about 2 weeks.  This is both an important, and a devisive issue and deserves careful scrutiny.