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2008 E-12 Education Budget Division updates
Update: April 27, 2009 11:25 a.m
The E-12 Education Policy Committee, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), gathered Mon., Apr. 27, to take action on two bills.
Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-Mpls.) authored a bill, S.F. 1797, that requires the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care to create an inventory of early childhood services. The measure was recommended to pass and sent to the Senate floor.
Stumpf carried S.F. 2089, which provides for a study that examines the operating cost differential of school districts in Minnesota. Stumpf said the commissioner of education and the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest will conduct the study. The study must examine economic factors that contribute to the basic operation of a school district and factors such as class size, poverty, mobility, foreign language options, extracurricular activities and limited English proficiency, Stumpf said. The bill was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
Finally, Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) gave a report on the recommendations from the Arts Education Subcommittee. Skogen said the subcommittee is asking for $16 million for the biennium to move the state's arts programs forward. Sen. Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake) said the subcommittee proposal is cost effective because it builds on existing programs and the existing Perpich Center for Arts Education. Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) moved to support the subcommittee recommendations and the motion was approved.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division convened Thurs., Apr. 2, to continue discussion on the omnibus bill. Members discussed and took action on several amendments.
Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) proposed an amendment to maintain current law and require five school lock-down drills, five fire drills and one tornado drill during the school year, as opposed to the two lock-downs, two fire drills and one tornado proposed in the bill. The motion did not prevail.
Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield) offered an amendment to delete the section of the bill regarding the alternative teacher preparation program and resident teacher licensing for qualified nontraditional candidates. The amendment failed.
Members adopted an amendment requiring schools to place a student's highest assessment score for certain assessments on the student's high school transcript. Under the bill, schools are already required to place assessment scores on a student's transcripts, and the amendment places additional assessment scores on transcripts.
Sen. Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud) proposed an amendment to establish the Office of Early Learning and appropriate five percent of the annual prekindergarten finance allowances for the Office of Early Learning. The amendment was approved.
Clark offered another amendment that transfers all positions in the Dept. of Education relating to early childhood to the Office of Early Learning. The motion was adopted.
Members of the division also adopted an amendment, proposed by Sen. Claire Robling (R-Jordan), that allows a local school board to retain the authority to determine the minimum acreage needed to accommodate a newly proposed school and related facilities. Also, the amendment provides that if a school board proposes to renovate an existing school, the local school board retains the authority to decide whether to renovate the school or build a new one, Robling said.
Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury) offered an amendment that prohibits a charter school from organizing the nonprofit building corporation until the sponsor files a supplementary affidavit with the commissioner and receives approval. Saltzman said the amendment also allows a charter school that has been approved and has operated for at least eight consecutive years and is not in statutory operating debt may form a separate affiliated nonprofit building corporation for the purpose of constructing or purchasing a school facility. Members adopted the amendment.
Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) proposed an amendment that allows a child to be excused from school with a note from a physician or a licensed mental health professional. The amendment was approved.
Sen. Lisa Fobbe (DFL-Zimmerman) offered an amendment stating that when a child with a disability has been suspended for five consecutive school days or 10 cumulative school days in the same year, members of the child's individualized education program team may meet and determine the child's services needs in order to continue participating in the education curriculum. The motion was adopted.
Members approved an amendment, offered by Dahle, that deletes the portion of the bill reserving two percent of the basic revenue for in-service education for staff development.
Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) proposed an amendment that changes the statewide general education aid adjustment for FY 2010 from $484.194 million to $544.003 million, $484.194 million to $424.385 million in FY 2011, $300 million to $271 million in FY 2012, $161.322 million to $190.322 million in FY 2013 and $80 million to $100,000 million in 2014. She said the aid adjustment for FY 2015 and later is zero dollars. Koch said the amendment decreases the disparity across school districts in the state. After some discussion about the amendment, Koch withdrew the proposal.
The bill was approved as amended and forwarded to the Committee on Finance.
Members of the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division gathered Wed., Apr. 1, to discuss the education omnibus bill.
Division Chair Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer) authored S.F. 1328, which provides several early childhood education and family, kindergarten through grade 12 and adult education provisions, changes and appropriations. The bill appropriates $5.161 billion in FY 2010 and $5.137 billion in FY 2011 from the general fund to the Dept. of Education, Fiscal Analyst Eric Nauman said. Nauman said the bill also appropriates $2.175 million in both FY 2010 and FY 2011 for the compensatory revenue pilot project and $16.599 million in FY 2010 and $17.151 million in FY 2011 for nonpublic pupil education aid. He said the bill limits the equity levy and aid to FY 2009-10, limits transition levy and aid to FY 2009-10 and limits alternative teacher compensation program levy and aid to FY 2009-10 only.
Nauman said the bill changes the number of days required in a school year to the number of hours required in a school year, requires the commissioner to reduce general education aid by the average daily membership aid adjustment for FY 2010 through FY 2014, aligns state academic standards with federal requirements, requires prekindergarten and elementary instructors to pass a comprehensive reading assessment and provides the formula to calculate a district's basic alternative teacher compensation aid. The bill also increases the membership on the Charter School Advisory Council, requires a sponsor to file affidavits for each school it intends to charter, clarifies several requirements for charter schools, establishes a Minnesota Reading Corps program and establishes a quality rating and improvement system for early childhood education, Nauman said.
After hearing the contents of the bill, members laid the bill over for further discussion at a later date.
Bills providing for state higher education grants provided the center piece for the Tues., Mar. 31, meeting of the Higher Education Budget and Policy Division.
S.F. 1493, authored by Sen. Rod Skoe (DFL-Clearbrook), modifies the formula for state grant stipends. The measure reduces the student share from 46 percent to 44 percent. In addition, the measure specifies that the cost of attendance is equal to the University of Minnesota average amount of undergraduate tuition and fees. Skoe said the federal government has increased the funds for Pell grants and, as a result, the state grant program will have about $65 to $70 million available for the student assistance.
David Laird, president, Minnesota Private College Council, said about 80,000 students, or 25 percent, use state grants. He said two groups need additional assistance, the first is middle income families on the cusp of eligibility, and the second is the lowest income families. He said the lowest income families number will increase this year because of current economic conditions. The measure was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
S.F. 1563, carried by Sen. Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud), sets the living and miscellaneous expense allowance for the state grant program. Under the bill, Clark said, the allowance is set at $7,100 per year, which is an increase of $900 per year.
The division, chaired by Sen. Sandra Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), also heard an overview of the governor's higher education budget proposal. S.F. 1933, carried by Sen. Claire Robling (R-Jordan), appropriates $3.122.696 billion for higher education. Robling said the revised proposal includes $392 million in federal stimulus funds for higher education. Robling said the addition of federal dollars offset some of the cuts in an earlier governor's proposal. She said that some programs were cut by five or even ten percent, but that funds for student grants were actually increased. The measure laid the bill over.
Members also heard a bill providing an appropriation for the Minnesota Campus Compact. S.F. 570, carried by Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield), appropriates $240,000 in each year of the biennium to increase campus-community collaboration and service learning statewide. In addition, the bill specifies that at least half the grants be made for projects that promote economic recovery and requires for every $1 in state funding, grant recipients contribute $2 in campus or community-based support.
Judith Ramaley, president, Winona State, said campus compacts provide a culture of civic responsibility and engage both students and faculty in civil endeavors. Tom O'Connell, Metro State University, said campus compacts are an important ally in engaging faculty.
The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
One measure was heard for informational purposes only. S.F. 734, authored by Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL-Duluth), establishes a grant program for nursing education demonstration projects. Prettner Solon said the bill has two purposes-solving the nursing shortage and reducing the burden on health care providers in providing clinical time for nursing students.
S.F. 549, carried by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), adds greenhouse gas reduction goals and strategies to state and metropolitan programs and plans. The measure was being heard by the division because of provisions relating to the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies. The bill was approved and re-referred to Transportation Budget and Policy Division.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Mar. 26, to take action on a number of bills, including a bill establishing the Office of Early Learning.
Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato) authored S.F. 1189, which requires training for school district boiler operators. Sheran said the bill requires licensed custodial engineers to undergo at least eight hours of boiler operation training each year during regular working hours. The measure was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
S.F. 567, carried by Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury), requires school districts that offer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training to use training developed by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross or nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines. The bill was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
S.F. 549, sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), adds greenhouse gas reduction goals to state and metropolitan programs and plans. The bill establishes goals for per capita reduction in vehicle miles traveled to reduce greenhouse gases, Dibble said. He said the bill also modifies the list of specific information that a school board must provide the commissioner of education when proposing to construct a new school.
Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) moved to lay the sections of the bill regarding the renovation or construction of a new school on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. The motion was adopted.
The bill was recommended to pass and re-referred to the Committee on Finance.
After acting as the full Education Committee, members adjourned and reconvened as the Education Finance Division to hear one more bill.
S.F. 1649, authored by Sen. Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud), establishes an Office of Early Learning and appropriates $6 million on FY 2010 and $20 million in FY 2011 to the Dept. of Education for grants to prekindergarten exploratory projects.
Todd Otis, Ready 4 K, spoke in favor of the bill. He said that the creation of an Office of Learning would allow a system of accountability for early childhood learning, which is something Minnesota does not currently possess.
Mary O'Brian, Minnesota Community Education Association, said the association opposes the portion of the bill that requires school readiness programs to serve children a minimum of 16 hours per week. She said the mandate is an increase in hours from previous law and might cause schools to have to cut back on the number of children they can serve because of funding issues. O'Brian said the association recommends reducing the minimum hour requirement so that more children can be served.
Tom Pritchard, Minnesota Family Council, spoke in opposition to the bill. He said the best early childhood learning occurs in homes while spending time with family.
The measure was approved as amended and laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The Committee on Education, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Mar. 25, to take action on several bills, including a measure that modifies charter school provisions.
Sen. Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) carried a bill, S.F. 1045, which provides districts with more flexibility. The bill allows a district to transfer money from its reserved for operating capital account to its general fund and allows learning and development revenue to be used for general purposes, Lynch said. She said the bill also allows fees for nonpublic student transportation.
Morgan Brown, Dept. of Education, testified in opposition to a portion of the bill. He said the bill repeals the aid for nonpublic pupil transportation, which will cost parents of students more money and could eventually result in students transferring to public schools. Students transferring to public schools because of nonpublic pupil transportation fees would have a significant cost impact on the state, Brown said.
Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) offered an amendment to delete the allowance for nonpublic pupil transportation fees. The amendment was adopted.
The bill was approved as amended and laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
S.F. 867, sponsored by Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury), modifies charter school provisions. The bill adds responsibilities to the charter school advisory council, clarifies health and safety requirements, requires charter schools to publish an annual report and modifies aid payments to charter schools, Saltzman said. The bill was approved and re-referred to the State and Local Government Operation and Oversight Committee.
S.F. 1428, authored by Sen. James Metzen (DFL-South St. Paul), permits Special School District #6, South St. Paul, to contract with the South Metro Fire Department for fire inspection services. Members adopted an amendment to make the bill effective statewide and not just in one district. The bill was approved as amended and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Sen. Lisa Fobbe (DFL-Zimmerman) carried a bill, S.F. 1800, that makes a number of clarifications regarding school district obligations to children with disabilities. The bill was approved and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) authored S.F. 1636, which adjusts regional public library maintenance of effort provisions by allowing cities and counties to reduce their library maintenance of effort if the city's or county's aid is reduced from the previous calendar year. The bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Tues., Mar. 24, to discuss several measures, including a measure regarding harassment and bullying policies.
S.F. 971, authored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), provides for harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence policies. Dibble said the bill requires school boards to adopt a policy that prohibits harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age and physical characteristics.
Members adopted an amendment that defines hazing and prohibits it both on and off school property and both during and after school hours. The bill was approved as amended and referred to the Senate floor.
Dibble also carried S.F. 1076, which requires schools to notify the parent of a student who intimidates or bullies another student.
Roger Aronson, Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association, spoke in opposition to the bill. He said the bill is good intentioned but would mandate something that is already taking place. Aronson said principals and teachers should use their own discretion when informing parents of bullying.
The measure failed by a vote of 7-10.
After taking action on S.F. 971 and S.F. 1076 as the Education Policy Division, members adjourned and reconvened as the Education Budget Division to take action on four more bills.
Sen. Kenneth Kelash (DFL-Mpls.) sponsored S.F. 620. The bill allows school districts to use health and safety revenue for elevator repair costs, Kelash said. He said that a district must adopt a health and safety program to qualify for health and safety revenue. The bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion in the division's omnibus bill.
S.F. 786, authored by Sen. James Metzen (DFL-Mpls.), allows the use of health and safety revenue for school district playground safety, accessibility, safe surfacing, play and fitness equipment and maintenance. The measure was laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
S.F. 1390, carried by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), allows school districts to retain half of the wind energy production tax deduction and allocates the other half of the wind energy production tax to the permanent school trust fund. The bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield) sponsored S.F. 249, which authorizes school boards to form a business entity solely for wind energy project. The bill was recommended to pass and referred to the full Finance Committee.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division Subcommittee on Arts Education, chaired by Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt), gathered Fri., Mar. 20, to hear several presentations.
Mike Hiatt, Perpich Center for Arts Education, said the mission of the Perpich Center is to provide all students in the state with the opportunity to develop their artistic and academic abilities to their highest potential. Hiatt said the Perpich Center works to partner with schools to strengthen arts education in selected school districts throughout Greater Minnesota. The center also provides arts courses for educators for professional development and technical support, he said.
Louise Chalfant, director of education, Guthrie Theater, told members she strongly supports giving 50 percent of the arts funding from the constitutional amendment passed last November to the Minnesota State Arts Board. "These are public funds and should be managed by a public system," she said.
Nicholas Smith, student and employee, Illusion Theater, said the theater provides educational plays for students of all ages through its peer education program. Illusion Theater has plays available that deal with the prevention of sexual abuse, violence, teen smoking and eating disorders, Smith said.
Sue Gens of the Minnesota State Arts Board said the board offers support for schools by matching funds for schools that want to sponsor artist residencies of one week or longer and providing grants for art education programs. Gens said the board serves over two million people in the state through its grants and activities. She also said the board serves 2,930 schools in the state with 17,813 activities.
Finally, Bill Strusinski, Minnesota Public Television Association, spoke about the importance of MPTA in the state. He said that the programs aired on MPTA allow all Minnesotans to engage in arts and culture education regardless of their mobility, income level or education level. Strusinski said that additional funding provided by the amendment passed last November could allow Prairie Public, serving the Moorhead/Crookston area, to provide educational services to nearly 100 more school districts in Northwest Minnesota. Additional funding would also allow KSMQ, serving the Austin/Rochester area, to produce historical documentaries about communities in Southern Minnesota, he said. The projects made possible by additional funding would create jobs throughout the state, Strusinski said.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), gathered Thurs., Mar. 19, to take action on several bills, all of which were recommended for possible inclusion in the division's omnibus bill.
S.F. 851, sponsored by Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury), establishes a Minnesota reading corps program and appropriates $1.7 million in FY 2010 and $1.7 million in FY 2011 from the general fund for the program. The reading corps program provides Americorps members with a data-based problem-solving model of reading instruction to use in training pre-kindergarten program providers and teachers with students in kindergarten through third grade, Saltzman said.
Saltzman also carried S.F. 866, which clarifies the definition of comprehensive scientifically based reading instruction and creates additional requirements for teacher licensure. The bill requires an individual to complete and pass a reading instruction assessment before receiving an initial teaching license to teach students in pre-kindergarten or elementary programs, Saltzman said.
S.F. 1107, authored by Sen. Charles Wiger (DFL-St. Paul), modifies deaf or hard of hearing resource center provisions. The bill requires the advisory committee for the resource center for the deaf and hard of hearing to meet at least four times a year and submit an annual report, Wiger said. He said the advisory committee must submit aggregate data-based education outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children, consistent with state academic standards and assessments.
Tom Anderson, member of Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans, said that as a father of deaf children, the bill would allow him to know how his children are doing in school compared to other students and state academic standards. He said that parents of hearing children are informed quarterly of their child's progression in school and parents of deaf or hard of hearing students deserve to know the same information.
S.F. 1342, carried by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), creates an alternative teacher preparation program and a resident teacher license for qualified nontraditional candidates.
Matt Kramer, president and chief program officer, Teach for America, said the bill allows Teach for America students to teach in the state of Minnesota. This is beneficial for the state of Minnesota, he said, because after a student finishes the two-year Teach for America program, he or she may be more likely to stay in Minnesota and continue teaching here.
The E-12 Education Committee, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Mar. 18, to take action on several bills.
S.F. 971, sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), clarifies harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence policies. The bill requires school boards to adopt a policy by January 1, 2010, that prohibits harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence based on, but not limited to, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age and physical characteristics, Dibble said.
Kirk Schneidawind, Minnesota School Board Association said the enumerated policies in the bill is more effective in combating bullying because enumerated policies call attention to individual areas of discrimination that may be easily glossed over in existing policy. He also said the association supports the bill because it requires school boards to adopt a harassment policy rather than keeping it optional.
There were several other speakers who spoke in support of the measure, including representatives from OutFront Minnesota, the Minnesota PTA, the Family Equality Council and students from local high schools. Supporters of the bill said the new, enumerated policies force all schools to take harassment and bullying more seriously, which will hopefully decrease the rate and intensity bullying occurs
No action was taken on the bill and more testimony will be heard at a later date.
S.F. 402, authored by Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury), modifies school background check requirements related to disciplinary action. The bill clarifies that disciplinary action does not include an action based on court-ordered child support or maintenance payment arrearages, Saltzman said. The measure was approved and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Michael Jungbauer (R-East Bethel) carried S.F. 739, which allows school districts to waive background check fees for volunteers. The bill was approved and laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Committee, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Tues., Mar. 17, to hear a bill regarding pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education policy provisions and modifications.
S.F. 1253, authored by Sen. Charles Wiger (DFL-St. Paul), makes several changes to existing pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education policies and also makes a number of technical changes to Minnesota statutes.
The bill ensures that statewide language arts assessments administered to students in the 2012-13 school year are aligned with state academic standards, Wiger said. He said the bill also provides for online learning. Lisa Barnidge, Dept. of Education, said the bill allows the commissioner to award state-funded, two-year grants for advanced placement summer training for secondary teachers. The measure also allows any Minnesota public, private or charter school to award Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificates for students who demonstrate oral and written language skills at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Intermediate-Low level by way of assessment.
Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-Mpls.) offered an amendment to clarify that early learning systems must use culturally relevant assessment instruments and that a school board must employ teachers who are trained not only in early childhood development, but also cultural competency. The amendment was adopted.
No action was taken on the bill.
The Education Budget and Policy Division Subcommittee on Integration Aid met Mon., Mar.16, to hear background information on integration aid in the state. Chair Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) said the subcommittee was going to hear the 2005 Office of the Legislative Auditor about integration and begin the discussion that will lead to policy reform. Bonoff said the goal is for meaningful reform for the present and for the future.
Judy Randall, Office of the Legislative Auditor, gave an overview of the report. She said the report's major findings include determining that the purpose of the integration aid is not clear, that school districts vary widely in how they use integration revenue, and that neither the state nor the districts have assessed the results of the program. In addition, Randall said over the last five years, racial concentration has increased in some districts that participate in the program and that the department of education has not provided consistent oversight of the program. Finally, Randall said the funding program has some unintended and potentially negative consequences such as providing a disincentive for to fully integrate schools or districts.
Tom Gillaspy, state demographer, said the population of the state is changing and becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. However, Gillaspy said the state is among the least diverse. He said the sources for the change are migration and immigration. The populations of color are younger and are increasing faster than other populations, Gillaspy said.
He said that since the 2000 school year, enrollments of minority students have increased sharply. Gillaspy said it is expected that the Latino population will nearly double by 2020 and that African-American and Asian populations are also expected to grow. He said the national average of diversity is 33 percent, but even the most diverse counties will not catch up to the national average for quite some time.
Members also heard from several metro school districts, Morgan Brown of the Dept. of Education and Roger Banks of the Council of Black Minnesotans.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Mar. 12, to hear a bill regarding modifications to operating referendum revocation.
S.F. 314, authored by Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt), increases the number of signatures required for an election to revoke an education finance operating referendum. Currently, he said, a petition must be signed by 15 percent of registered voters in the district for a referendum to be revoked, but the bill provides that signatures must account for at least 30 percent of registered voters. The bill also provides that voters may petition a school board for an election to increase referendum revenue amount, he said.
Representatives from the Minnesota School Board Association, Minnesota Rural Education Society, Association of Metro School Districts, Minnesota Association of School Administrators, Parents United and others testified in favor of the bill, saying that it represents a fair opportunity for voters to revoke a referendum.
Sen. Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake) offered an amendment to remove the portion of the bill that allows for the invocation or revocation of a referendum with a petition. The amendment also removes the signature requirements for petitions. The amendment was approved.
The bill was approved as amended and laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Mar. 11, to discuss two bills and one resolution.
S.F. 11, authored by Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids), modifies requirements for online learning providers. The bill requires an online learning provider to give written assurance that all courses meet state academic standards and that the curriculum and assessments and teacher-student communication meet national standards and are demonstrated as such in a syllabus provided according to the commissioner's requirements, Saxhaug said. The bill was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
S.F. 33, carried by Sen. Rick Olseen (DFL-Harris), modifies legislation enacted in 2008 that specifies requirements for drivers of type III school vehicle such as cars, vans and sport utility vehicles. The changes allow the holder of a class A, B or C driver's license to operate a type III vehicle without a school bus endorsement, Olseen said. Thus, a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing will be able to operate a type III school bus, he said.
Kirk Schneidawind, Minnesota School Board Association, said the modifications to the bill provide school districts with flexibility and will provide deaf or hard-of-hearing students with a sense of safety because many deaf students prefer riding with deaf drivers.
The bill was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield) carried S.F. 358, which is a resolution memorializing Congress not to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in its current form. The resolution suggests that the entire sanctions concept of NCLB be revised and that NCLB be amended to ensure that the act's standards are based on sound research in student achievement and effective teaching, Dahle said. He said the resolution also states that NCLB places an overreliance on standardized testing and excludes other recognized indicators of student achievement. The resolution was approved and referred to the Senate floor.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Tues., Mar. 10, to hear a bill regarding home school mandates and a bill regarding school district education mandates simplification and repeal.
Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) carried S.F. 672, which simplifies and repeals mandates on school districts. The bill minimizes the annual report that the superintendent must make to the commissioner and removes the requirement to report the number of children that are or are not in compliance with teacher licensure requirements, Skogen said. He said the bill also eliminates the requirement for the school board to publish an annual report on curriculum, instruction and student achievement and eliminates the requirement to make the report available for the commissioner. The bill also increases the population threshold from 2,000 to 10,000 for districts that are eligible for a director of community education, he said. Skogen said the bill also reduces teacher daily preparation time.
Sen. Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake) offered an amendment to change the population threshold requirements for districts that are eligible for a director of community education from 10,000 to 4,000. She said the change will reduce the number of exempt districts from 253 to 134 districts. The amendment was approved.
Sen. Lisa Fobbe (DFL-Zimmerman) offered an amendment to clarify that a student who enrolls in a nonresident school may be rejected if the student was expelled from their resident school for possessing a dangerous weapon at school or a school function, possessing or using an illegal drug at school or a school function, selling a controlled substance at school or a school function or for committing a third-degree assault. The amendment was approved.
Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield) offered an amendment to eliminate the portion of the bill that reduces teacher preparation time. The amendment was approved.
The bill was approved and re-referred to the Finance Committee.
S.F. 846, authored by Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista), reduces mandates for home schools. The bill eliminates the need for reporting a home school instructional calendar and quarterly report card to the superintendent and requires home school instructors, rather than superintendents, to maintain documentation regarding subjects taught and assessments administered, Olson said. She said the bill makes the county attorney, rather than the superintendent, responsible for notifying home school instructors and parents if there is a chance that violation of home school requirements has taken place. The bill was approved and re-referred to the Finance Committee.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Mar. 5, to hear several bills.
Sen. Steve Dille (R-Dassel) authored S.F. 811, which authorizes Independent School District #2887, McLeod West, to issue general obligation bonds for its reorganization operating debt. The bond amount is estimated at $3.13 million, he said. The bond debt issued under the bill is paid through property taxes from within the boundaries of the school district, Dille said. The bill was approved and referred to the Finance Committee.
S.F. 731, carried by Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato), authorizes a fund transfer for Independent School District #77, Mankato. The bill allows the school district to permanently transfer up to $500,000 from its debt redemption fund to its general fund without making a levy reduction, Sheran said. The bill was approved and laid over for possible inclusion in the division's omnibus bill.
S.F. 737, authored by Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville), authorizes a fund transfer for Independent School District #282, St. Anthony-New Brighton. The bill allows the school district to permanently transfer up to $400,000 from its reserved for operating capital account to its undesignated general fund, Marty said. The bill was approved and laid on the table for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls) sponsored S.F. 939. The bill authorizes a fund transfer for Independent School District #62, Ortonville, Kubly said. He said the bill allows a permanent transfer of up to $200,000 from its debt redemption fund to its reserved for operating capital account without making a levy reduction. The bill was approved and laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
S.F. 10, sponsored by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), establishes a shared services purchasing program and requires all school districts and charter schools to participate in the business services program. The bill clarifies that business services does not include custodial, food or transportation services. Bonoff said the bill requires the Dept. of Education to enter into a three-year contract with a consultant to study services and activities across school districts and charter schools and make a shared services plan. The plan is meant to improve service delivery, efficiency and economy of operation, she said. The consultant will receive payment as a percentage of shared services savings, Bonoff said.
Dana Badgerow, commissioner of administration, said that under the bill school districts would be able to look to the state contract for their purchasing needs. She said districts would not be required to buy from the state, but it would be an option and would save districts' money.
Betty Schweizer, executive director, TIES, said that 86 percent of school districts in the state purchase class supplies and of that percentage 38 percent purchase from the state.
Scott Croonquist, Association of Metropolitan School Districts, said the association has concerns about the bill. He the bill undermines school districts that are already using shared purchasing programs because, under the bill, the districts will expend more time and money by having to complete paperwork for each mass purchase made.
The bill was approved and referred to the Finance Committee.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Mar. 4, to hear an overview on state testing and assessments.
Daron Korte, Senate Counsel, said the state assessment currently measures the mastery of K-12 standards, proficiency for the purposes of NCLB and the GRAD requirement for high school graduation. He said there are three types of assessments-the summative, which determines what students do and do not know, the formative, which informs teachers and students of the students' level of understanding and the adaptive, which measures achievement. The FY 2009 appropriation for statewide testing is $15.15 million, Korte said.
Shelby McQuay, Senate Counsel and Research and Fiscal Analysis, said one long-term GRAD assessment potential goal is to push back the administration grade so students take the assessment in tenth grade rather than eleventh grade. She also said end-of-course assessments may be implemented in the long-term.
Dirk Mattson, director of assessment and testing, Minnesota Dept. of Education, provided an overview of statewide assessments. Mattson said the current annual spending on assessments is $22.679 million. He said the department's goal is to provide an MCA that provides the highest quality assessment with the most information for educators that takes the least amount of time to administer and gives the timeliest results.
Mattson said that several states are switching to end-of-course tests in both introductory and college- and career-ready courses. Mattson said that end-of-course tests are advantageous because they are more closely aligned with state academic standards, they assess students on recent material and they measure quality and consistency of courses. However, he said, the disadvantages of end-of-course testing is that overall testing time could increase and financial investment would be needed to create new tests.
Finally, Jim Bartholomew, Minnesota Business Partnership, said the partnership supports the governor's recommendation to make the MCAs an online model.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Feb. 26, to continue discussion of S.F. 836, the bill containing the governor's recommendations.
Dirk Mattson, director of assessment and testing, Dept. of Education, gave an overview of the academic standards and assessments under the bill. Mattson said the bill requires students in high school to complete a minimum of one online course or online learning experience in order to graduate.
Director of School Improvement Patricia King, Dept. of Education, said the bill develops an annual review process for continuing contract teachers. Under the bill, the school board and an exclusive representative of the teachers will develop the review process, which must be aligned to best instructional practices in teaching and learning, King said.
John Melick, director of teacher licensing, Dept. of Education, explained the State of Minnesota Mid-career Alternative Route to Teaching (SMART) program. He said the program is an alternative to postsecondary teacher preparation programs and allows qualified professionals to acquire an entrance license. The program is offered in science, math, world languages, English as a second language and special education, Melick said. He said qualified participants must have a bachelor's degree at minimum, pass a skills exam and a content knowledge assessment and show employment related to the subject that will be taught.
Mileck also provided information about the U Teach program. He said U Teach establishes a grant program that recruits current math and science majors into teacher of education programs. The funds awarded must be used to defray the tuition of up to six teacher education courses per student, he said. Stumpf said the program costs $500,000 per year for a two-year period.
Director of Academic Standards and High School Improvement Beth Aune, Dept. of Education, explained the summer of success program. She said the program provides remediation to students who are not yet proficient in the eighth grade. The program will cost $3.2 million in FY 2010, she said. The program also creates a high school transition plan, which includes courses supporting college and career readiness, Aune said.
Michelle Weber, supervisor of program accountability and improvement, Dept. of Education, said the bill establishes the Perpich Center for Arts Education as a charter school. She also said the Perpich Center is eligible for state charter school aid under the bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), devoted its Wed., Feb. 25, meeting to discussing the governor's budget recommendations.
Fiscal Analyst Eric Nauman provided an overview of the FY 2010-11 E-12 education budget, focusing on shifts from the governor's recommendations. Nauman said the governor's recommendations allowed for a savings of $1.138 million. After the shifts, savings equal $1.295 million, which creates an offset of $156,711, he said.
Dr. Tom Melcher, Dept. of Education, gave an overview of S.F. 836, authored by Stumpf. The bill changes the state school district's annual school calendar to be measured by hours rather than days, Melcher said. Under the bill, a school calendar requires 425 hours of instruction for kindergartners, 935 hours for students grades one through six and 1,020 hours for students in grades seven through 12, he said. He also said charter schools will measure their school calendar by hours rather than days, under the bill. Melcher said the bill allows the commissioner to reduce state aid to a school district or charter school that does not provide instruction for at least the minimum number of hours required under the bill.
Deputy Commissioner Chas Anderson, Dept. of Education, said the bill expands Q-Comp to all districts and charter schools in the state and requires instructional leadership as part of the professional development system. Melcher said the bill increases the alternative teacher compensation revenue from $260 per pupil to $300 per pupil.
Sen. Charles Wiger (DFL-St. Paul) proposed that the portion of the bill removing the reference to school site as part of the expansion of Q-Comp be deleted from the bill. The amendment was approved.
The bill provides appropriations to the Dept. of Education for general education aid and a number of projects, including enrollment options transportation, nonpublic pupil education aid, Rushford-Peterson flood enrollment impact aid and compensatory revenue pilot projects, Melcher said.
Dirk Mattson, director of assessment and testing, Dept. of Education, explained the growth model that identifies the percent of tested students who were considered proficient in 2007. Mattson said 19 percent of students were proficient in math but showed low growth, 28 percent were proficient but growing at a steady rate and 19 percent were proficient and made exceptional growth. He also said 19 percent of students were proficient in reading and made low growth, 30 percent grew at a steady pace and 22 percent made exceptional growth.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), devoted the Wed., Feb. 18, meeting to discussing the education portion of the federal stimulus package.
Deputy Commissioner Chas Anderson, Dept. of Education, said the federal stimulus bill will allocate $53.6 billion in education funds to the states, and approximately $821.4 million will be made available to Minnesota. The governor must allocate 81.8 percent of the funds for elementary, secondary and postsecondary education and, if possible, early childhood education programs, she said. Anderson said K-12 education funding may not be used for maintenance costs, stadiums or other facilities used for athletic contests, the purchase of vehicles or the improvement of administration facilities or other facilities that do not contribute to the education of children.
Anderson said $4.350 billion is available for states in state incentive grants. In order to receive a grant, the governor must submit an application to the secretary of education, Anderson said. She said if Minnesota receives a grant, at least 50 percent of the funds must be used to provide school districts with sub-grants.
The secretary of education may reserve up to $650 million to establish an Innovative Fund to recognize local education energy or the partnership between a nonprofit organization and one or more local education agencies or a group of schools.
Program Finance Director Dr. Tom Melcher, Dept. of Education, said a large portion of the stimulus bill is for special education funding. He said $180.4 million will be used for children ages three to 21, $7.3 million for preschool programs and $7 million for early childhood programs for children under the age of two.
Anderson said the states have a number of reporting requirements under the stimulus bill. Some of the state's reporting requirements include the use and distribution of federal stimulus funds, the number of jobs saved or created, tax increases averted because of the funds, any tuition and fee increases and the progress in the distribution of teachers and the development of reliable assessments for certain students, Anderson said.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), devoted the Thurs., Feb. 19, meeting to a report about smart investments in Minnesota's students from Growth and Justice Minnesota.
Dr. Angie Eilers, Growth and Justice Minnesota, said the education goal for Minnesota is to increase by 50 percent the rate of students who finish post-secondary education by 2020. Eilers said that in order to do this, Minnesota needs to invest education funds in goals for certain grade levels. All third graders have to read at or above their grade level, all eighth graders need to pass Algebra I by the end of eighth grade, all high-schoolers must be prepared for postsecondary education upon graduation and students who are qualified to enroll in postsecondary education begin within three years of graduating from high school, she said.
Eilers said that of the students who go on to postsecondary education, 34 percent are spending at least one year on remediation. She said this is costing both the state and students unnecessary amounts of money, thus the state needs to invest more in K-12 education so that remediation is not needed.
Eilers also spoke of the program Admission Possible. Through Admission Possible, she said, Americorps volunteers recognize C-average students in the ninth grade who don't see themselves attending college. Volunteers mentor and tutor the students throughout tenth and eleventh grade to prepare and encourage the students to attend college, she said. Eilers said Admission Possible students have a 99 percent acceptance rate to postsecondary institutions and an 80 percent graduation rate.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), devoted the Wed., Feb. 18, meeting to discussing the education portion of the federal stimulus package.
Deputy Commissioner Chas Anderson, Dept. of Education, said the federal stimulus bill will allocate $53.6 billion in education funds to the states, and approximately $821.4 million will be made available to Minnesota. The governor must allocate 81.8 percent of the funds for elementary, secondary and postsecondary education and, if possible, early childhood education programs, she said. Anderson said K-12 education funding may not be used for maintenance costs, stadiums or other facilities used for athletic contests, the purchase of vehicles or the improvement of administration facilities or other facilities that do not contribute to the education of children.
Anderson said $4.350 billion is available for states in state incentive grants. In order to receive a grant, the governor must submit an application to the secretary of education, Anderson said. She said if Minnesota receives a grant, at least 50 percent of the funds must be used to provide school districts with sub-grants.
The secretary of education may reserve up to $650 million to establish an Innovative Fund to recognize local education energy or the partnership between a nonprofit organization and one or more local education agencies or a group of schools.
Program Finance Director Dr. Tom Melcher, Dept. of Education, said a large portion of the stimulus bill is for special education funding. He said $180.4 million will be used for children ages three to 21, $7.3 million for preschool programs and $7 million for early childhood programs for children under the age of two.
Anderson said the states have a number of reporting requirements under the stimulus bill. Some of the state's reporting requirements include the use and distribution of federal stimulus funds, the number of jobs saved or created, tax increases averted because of the funds, any tuition and fee increases and the progress in the distribution of teachers and the development of reliable assessments for certain students, Anderson said.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Tues., Feb. 17, to hear two bills.
S.F. 464, authored by Sen. Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park), authorizes a levy for school districts in statutory operating debt. The bill allows school districts with a net negative unreserved general fund balance larger than 2.5 percent to levy funds to eliminate the deficit, Scheid said.
Superintendent Keith Lester, Brooklyn Center schools, said that between 70 and 72 percent of the Brooklyn Center school population is at or below poverty level and his schools would be eligible for the levies allowed in the bill. "We need to find ways that we can, at the very least, reduce the amount of [budget] cutting," Lester said. "The bill allows us to access some revenue…strictly to be able to reduce the debt."
The bill was laid over until final amendments can be made.
S.F. 433, carried by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), adjusts the qualification criteria for the alternative facilities bonding and levy program. The bill allows qualifying school districts to participate in the alternative facilities bonding and levy program if the district has more than 66 people per grade, over 1.5 million square feet and the average age of the building is 15 years or older.
Scott Croonquist, Association of Metropolitan School Districts, said the association supports the bill. Brad Lundell, Schools for Equity in Education, said he supports the bill because lowering the age that buildings are eligible for repair or reconstruction will prevent buildings from getting too old before they can be fixed.
Stumpf suggested that an amendment be drafted to specify how many times a district needs to run a referendum and fail before it is eligible for the levy program.
The bill was laid over for consideration in the division's omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Feb. 12, to hear recommendations from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
Dr. William Schmidt, SciMath Minnesota, said that in the 2007 study, fourth graders in Minnesota scored higher in mathematics than other students in many European countries, and fourth graders also scored just under students in Japan and Hong Kong. Minnesota students' scores jumped from 516 to 554 from 1995 to 2007, he said. Schmidt said that eighth grade students' math scores also gained from 1995 to 2007, but not enough to be statistically significant.
Schmidt said the 2007 TIMSS fourth grade test focused primarily on basic concepts like numbers and geometry and less on data or using fractions. The eighth grade test, however, focused more on algebra, geometry and numbers, he said. Schmidt said the gains in test scores since 1995 might be due to teachers shifting their focus and teaching more basic concepts in fourth grade and introducing fractions, equations and algebra at a later age when the students already understand basic math.
Schmidt said he believes there should be national standards for math and science. "If we don't have that we are essentially creating a hugely inequitable system," he said. Schmidt also said improvements in teacher preparation are needed in Minnesota.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Feb. 11, to hear three bills.
S.F. 344, authored by Sen. Michael Jungbauer (R-East Bethel), continues the compensatory revenue pilot project program for certain school districts and appropriates money for the program. The bill is already built into the budget forecast at $2.175 million in both FY 2010 and FY 2011.
Laurie Resch, Anoka-Hennepin elementary curriculum director, said that because of past revenue from the program students are able to engage in small group learning every day of the week instead of two or three days per week. Resch said the funds have also allowed for staff development activities.
The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the division's omnibus bill.
S.F. 86, sponsored by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), modifies alternative teacher pay calculation for intermediate school districts. The bill puts an end to basing alternative teacher compensation aid on $260 multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the school and establishes that compensation aid be based on $3,800 multiplied by the number of licensed teachers teaching in the school, Bonoff said.
Mike Smart, teacher with Intermediate School District #287, said that since the current system awards funds based on student enrollment, intermediate school districts are being left behind. He said the passage of the bill will allow intermediate schools to be functionally involved in Q-Comp with other schools throughout the state.
The panel discussed administrative details in the bill, including how to prevent double funding in situations where teachers or students teach at or attend both intermediate and independent school districts. The bill was laid over for further refinement.
S.F. 343, carried by Jungbauer, expands the alternative compensation revenue program for school districts and increases property tax levies. Eligible school districts may levy an amount of up to $65 per student, Jungbauer said.
Randy Keillor, student performance improvement program coordinator at ISD #15 and advocate of the bill, said his school district used Q-Comp to increase teachers' starting salary by 20 percent, recruit and hire new teachers and to build a support system for staff. He said that if the Legislature's goal is to reform steps and lanes, then a static amount of money will not support the goal over a number of years.
Fiscal Analyst Eric Nauman said the levy would cost approximately $5 million in FY 2011, $13 million in FY 2012 and $16 million in 2013.
The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division met Tues., Feb. 10. The panel, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), heard three bills.
S.F. 142, authored by Sen. Katie Sieben (DFL-Newport), allows ISD # 200, Hastings, to participate in the alternative facilities bonding and levy program. Fiscal Analyst Eric Nauman said the bill allows the financing of school facilities in the district. Hastings does not qualify for debt service aid under the current law, so the revenue would come entirely from local taxpayers, Sieben said.
Superintendent Tim Collins, Hastings, said $140,000 in building allocations is spent annually between the four schools in the district, thus $35,000 is available for desk, chair and carpet replacement, among other maintenance costs, for each school. Collins also said $500,000 for textbooks is spent annually between the four. If the $12 million bond passes, $4.971 million would be spent on the Hastings middle school, $1.885 million on JFK Elementary, $1.234 million on Pinecrest Elementary and $1.178 on Christa McAuliffe Elementary, Collins said.
Collins said that since voters in the district have voted no on the bond twice already, he advised the board to bond for $4 or 5 million for roof maintenance before bonding the entire $12 million.
The bill was approved and laid over for possible inclusion in the division's omnibus bill.
S.F. 68, carried by Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), allows ISD #2853, Lac Qui Parle, to permanently transfer $220,660 from its debt redemption fund to the general fund without a levy reduction. The bill was approved and laid over for consideration for the omnibus bill.
S.F. 327, sponsored by Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo), allows staff development funds to be spent on CPR training, automatic external defibrillator training and first aid training, with an option for certification, for teachers.
Kelly Capouch, mother of two children who attend elementary school in Saint Michael, said her son had an accident on the playground in 2007 after which he was sent home. Capouch said she took her son to the hospital and discovered he had two broken wrists and a sprained leg. Because of the accident, Capouch said she wants to see legislation passed that requires teachers to have first aid training.
The bill was laid over for consideration for the omnibus bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Tues., Feb. 3, to hear a report on Quality Compensation for Teachers (Q Comp).
Evaluation Manager Judy Randall, Legislative Auditor's Office, said Q Comp provides career advancement opportunities for teachers, encourages professional development and provides teacher evaluation throughout the year. Schools that participate in Q Comp are eligible for up to $260 per pupil in extra funding, Randall said. She said only 72 school districts and charter schools currently participate in the program and $49 million in state funding is going to Q Comp in FY 2009.
Randall said 43 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that Q Comp has improved teaching at their school, and 83 percent of administrators believed the same. She also said 33 percent of teachers thought linking teacher pay to performance evaluations has a positive or strongly positive effect on their school districts, whereas 30 percent thought the link had a negative or strongly negative effect. Randall said that Q Comp's effect on student achievement cannot be adequately measured using existing data. In addition, she said applicants have been held to different standards depending on when they applied to the program.
The biggest barriers to participation in Q Comp are teacher reluctance, concern about whether the funding would continue and difficulty with time commitment for smaller districts, Randall said. Randall recommended that the Legislature remove the requirement to have external application reviewers, remove the 30-day application timeline and require the Dept. of Education to establish two or three specific application deadlines throughout the year. She also recommended that all Q Comp participants undergo periodic program reviews.
Commissioner Alice Seagren said Q Comp provides teachers a way to develop their careers without having to become principals. Instead, they can advance their careers by becoming mentors, lead teachers or evaluators.
Patricia King, Dept. of Education, said the department has reviewed the Office of the Legislative Auditor's recommendations and will work to develop a better application process, clarify the minimum requirements for the program, implement periodic reviews of Q Comp participants and improve the goal review process.
Seagren said the department has no qualms with the legislative auditor's recommendations and the department intends to fulfill all of them. "It is all about the teacher and having a highly skilled teachers in the classroom," she said.
Members of the Education Committee, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer) devoted the entire Thurs., Jan. 29, hearing to a discussion of early childhood care and education. Members also discussed a bill, S.F. 72, sponsored by Sen. Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud), providing for a quality rating and improvement system for early childhood care and education.
Louise Stoney, an independent consultant specializing in early care and education policy and finance, said she has been working with members of the early childhood caucus, a bi-partisan, bi-cameral group, on developing a vision and framework for early childhood education.
Stoney said the vision for early childhood care and education in Minnesota is to ensure that all Minnesota's children can access high-quality early learning and care in a range of settings that meet the needs of children and families. Stoney said the early childhood caucus agreement is focused on building a system of high quality services and providing for accountability and benchmarks to track progress.
Stoney said because of the way government funds are allocated and administered, a set of early childhood education subsystems has emerged-each with its own standards, policies, procedures and rates. Stoney said the emergence of subsystems has led to incomplete or inaccurate supply and demand data, inconsistent services delivery and competition for scarce funding. The different subsystems also make it difficult for families to make sense of the varying standards, requirements and administrative entities as they seek programs to fit their needs, Stoney said.
Stoney said a new approach to standards may be found in quality rating and improvement systems, which creates a big enough tent to include early childhood education services provided by a wide range of entities and funded by a variety of sources. She said the quality rating and improvement systems is a standards-based system that is supports the principle elements of quality. Stoney said the principle elements of quality include highly skilled teachers, age-appropriate curricula, a language rich environment, responsive interactions between staff and children, consistent levels of child participation and small class sizes. She said a standards-based framework promotes efficiency, cost effectiveness and a shared vision for the early childhood system as a whole.
The bill, S.F. 72, incorporates the idea of a quality rating and improvement system for Minnesota, said Clark. The measure establishes a quality rating and improvement system based on the goal that all Minnesota's children have access to high-quality early learning and care programs in a range of settings. Clark said the system includes establishing a framework that improves quality opportunities for early learning and then uses the framework as a tool to ensure that publicly funded and regulated early learning and care systems are high quality. The framework is also used to track progress toward statewide access to programs, progress in providing access to low-income children and progress in reducing the number of children not fully prepared to enter kindergarten.
Clark said the measure is still a work in progress and that discussions are being held to further refine the bill. No formal action was taken was taken on the bill.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Wed., Jan. 28, to hear a presentation on the college and career readiness of high school students. In addition, Stumpf announced that an Arts Education Working Group has been appointed to deal with revenue designated for the arts resulting from the passage of the legacy amendment. The working group, to be chaired by Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt), will include Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids), Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo), Sen. Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake) and Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista
Dr. Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, Inc., said that between 2002 and 2005 the American Diploma Project (ADP) found that 30 percent of first-year college students are required to take remedial courses because they are unequipped for postsecondary education. Cohen said faculty estimated that 42 percent of first-year students are academically unprepared. To better prepare high school students for postsecondary education and careers, ADP recommends that states align their standards with the knowledge and skills needed for success in postsecondary education and work, Cohen said. He said high schools need to have a set of accountability indicators to show that students are college and work-ready.
Cohen said 22 states, including Minnesota, have aligned high school standards with the knowledge needed for postsecondary success, and 20 states, including Minnesota, require a college and career-ready diploma. However, nine states have built college and career-ready measures into their statewide assessment systems and Minnesota is not one of these states, he said.
Alice Seagren, commissioner of education, said the department, along with other consultants and Legislators, has been working on the issue of assessment and post high school readiness. She said it seems to make sense to have end of course tests for geometry and algebra II in order to meet the mathematics requirements for graduation. She said another option is to lower the grade level at which students take the mathematics assessment test. Seagren said that both short and long-term solutions are needed, but that the solutions must be linked. She encouraged members make a decision regarding the status of the Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) by the end of February.
In conclusion, Cohen said there is a short-term dilemma and long-term dilemma brought about by students not being prepared for graduation. If the discussion is turning toward end of course testing, it could be a very positive development because students would be better motivated and would have immediate feed back, he said. He said the panel needs to think about testing issues and about accountability on the part of the schools. He said there needs to be high quality standards based reform for both short and long-term solutions.
Before adjourning, Sen. Charles Wiger (DFL-St. Paul) announced a working group will be meeting Friday to discuss short and long-term solutions regarding the GRAD standards.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), met Thurs., Jan. 15, to hear an overview of education finance.
Fiscal Analyst Eric Nauman outlined the revenues, levies and aid for FY 2009. The total certified levies for FY 2009 are $1,917.1 billion and the total aid is $6,966.7 billion, said Nauman.
He said $347.5 million is available for compensatory aid in FY 2009 for districts in which students qualify for free and reduced lunch. He also said $40.9 million is available for limited English proficiency (LEP) aid in FY 2009. Along with that, $11.4 million is available for gifted and talented programs and $60.9 million for transportation.
Senate Researcher Shelby McQuay said the overall special education revenue is $830.6 million for FY 2009. The amount is capped and pro-rated to districts, she said. McQuay also said districts are reimbursed for special education costs for students who go into foster care or treatment whose parental rights have been cut-off and live out-of-state or as a resident of a state correctional facility. "The cost of special education is exceeding even the growth that we put in," Nauman said.
The E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division met on Tues., Jan. 13, for an open discussion on education finance. Eric Nauman, fiscal analyst for the Senate, presented information showing the E-12 education budget shortfall accounting for over one fourth of the state's total projected $4.8 billion deficit.
"Balancing the education budget is possible," said Nauman, "but that could mean raising property taxes to pay for the shortfall, or possibly shifting payback schedules to school districts. Neither of these options would be an ideal fix for the budget." Nauman said that a number of groups would be unhappy about a property tax increases and a possible payback shift could cause some school districts to have to borrow state money to cover their own budgets. Finally, Nauman said that if an agreement wasn't reached on a resolution to balancing the education budget, the division would have to start looking into making cuts.
Other members of the committee suggested such things as shortening the length of the academic year, shortening the school week and consolidating smaller school districts as possible ways to cut costs from the education budget.
Before adjourning, Chair LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer) said the division would continue discussion of the education budget shortfall.
The Thurs., Jan. 8, meeting of the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division kicked off with a proposal, authored by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), providing for school district shared services, reading instruction, quality rating systems, and technology guidelines.
The bill proposes establishing a shared services purchasing program that would require school districts and charter schools to purchase all goods and services from a list of vendors approved by the commissioner of education. The bill specifies, that under the guidance of a number of consulting agencies, the commissioner of education is required to develop and maintain a list of approved vendors from which school districts may purchase goods or contract services. Under the proposal, each school district would be allowed to decide which vendors would be used in the district, as long the vendors were part of the list approved by the commissioner.
Bonoff said services included in the proposal are food, transportation, and technology equipment and communications services. All school materials, supplies, tools, and equipment for school facilities operations and maintenance are included in the measure.
Bonoff explained that the bill is designed to take the money saved under the shared services program and put it back into the classrooms to cover the rising costs of materials needed by students. Bonoff said that each school district would be in charge of deciding how to allocate the funds gained through using the shared services program.
"The purpose of the bill is not to privatize all the goods and services in our schools," said Bonoff. "The purpose is to create savings that will go directly back into the classroom," she said.
Because the proposed bill is in the very early stages of its development, there are still many specifications and aspects that have yet to be decided, Bonoff said. According to Steve Dahl, Deloitte Consulting, the shared services initiative could collectively save Minnesota school districts nearly $100 million each biennium.
The panel, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), took no formal action on the proposal.
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