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Legislative Update A Communication for Parents and Education Supporters in SEE Districts |
March 27, 2009 |
If this is your first Legislative Update from SEE - Welcome!
Brad Lundell, Executive Director for SEE, writes a blog on almost a daily basis. For up-to-date detailed information about what is happening at the capitol visit
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If this communication was forwarded to you, sign up to receive it directly by clicking on the box below: | |
What's Happening at the Capitol
This was a very hectic week at the Capitol. Today was the first committee deadline. All policy bills needed to be acted on favorably in a policy committee to continue in the process to become law. Policy bills, by definition, are not to require any funding. All bills that do have a cost need to be considered in the funding committees where dollars can be appropriated as needed. In reality, very little policy does not have a cost to our schools for implementation. Policy bills quickly can become unfunded mandates. Policy committee members are being very careful in crafting these bills to provide meaningful policy that benefits our schools without adding financial burdens.
See the Bills Heard This Week section below. |
Equaliztion Bills Heard
Two equalization bills were heard this week. Districts now rely heavily on voter-approved operating referendum levies to make up for inadequate state funding. The problem with referendum is that the cost to the individual taxpayer is based on the property wealth in the district which varies greatly across the state. Property poor districts without commercial or industrial properties find that the taxpayer has to bear the majority of the tax burden. Thus property poor districts are able to pass far smaller levies than their neighbors who are fortunate enough to have malls or businesses within their borders. Equalization is state aid that attempts to make the cost to the taxpayer for operating referendum uniform so that all districts have a fair opportunity to access desperately needed referendum dollars. A child's educational opportunities should not depend merely on their zip code. HF1222(Abeler) and HF1643(Gardner) would both increase equalization aid. The cost to do so is very expensive and thus these bills are unlikely to make much progress in this legislative session. Yet, the conversation needs to be had as the legislature also considers bill that would increase the disparities. To find out a little more about the equalization aid, click on this easy to read HF1643 Talking Points document. | |
Special Education Revisions
HF1701(Newton)/SF1800(Fobbe) is the result of deliberations between special education providers and the special education advocacy community and makes a lot of progress both clarifying special education law and removing many of the provisions of Minnesota law that exceed or are redundant with federal law. It does appear that this effort is building consensus and would help schools contain special education costs without jeopardizing required services to the children. |
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What You Can Do Communicate with your legislators. Decisions will be made that will impact our children and their schools for years to come. The Senate in particular needs to know if their proposal of a 7% CUT to education is supported by their constituents. It's as easy as writing a simple short email letting them know how important education is to you. Click here to see who represents you.
Visit the capitol. Face to face interaction is the most powerful communication tool and will make a huge impact with your legislators. You could sit in on an education committee meeting then stop by your legislator's office. If you are able to come to the capitol, don't hesitate to contact me and I can help arrange short meetings with your legislators. I would be happy to accompany you. Meeting parents and education supporters and helping them negotiate their way around the capitol is one of my favorite things to do. |
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If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Working together, we can make a difference.
Deb Griffiths
Director of Communications and Community Outreach
Schools for Equity in Education
612-309-0089
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Bills Heard This Week
S.F. 620 Kelash School district health and safety revenue allowable use for elevator repair costs.
S.F. 786 Metzen School district health and safety revenue use for playground safety, accessibility, safe surfacing, play and fitness equipment and maintenance costs.
S.F. 1390 Bonoff Wind energy production tax deduction school district retention and permanent school trust fund allocation.
S.F. 249 Dahle School boards wind energy conversion systems business entity formation authorization
S.F. 1649 Clark Educational quality rating and improvement system; prekindergarten exploratory projects and appropriations.
S.F. 1045-Lynch: Education mandate reductions and school district flexibility provisions.
S.F. 1428-Metzen: Special school district # 6, South St. Paul; South Metro fire department contract for fire inspection services.
S.F. 1800-Fobbe: School district obligations to children with disabilities modification.
S.F. 1636-Skogen: Regional public library system maintenance of effort provisions adjustment.
K-12 Finance Committee
HF1150 (Urdahl) Special education aid through base year funding reinstated.
HF1174 (Kiffmeyer) Local education agency defined for special education purposes.
HF895 (Eken) Rural school district grant program created to allow the sharing of services, and money appropriated.
HF1665 (Swails) Education; Best practices center for shared services established.
HF501 (Mariani) Alternative graduation means created for students, and graduation exams studied.
HF1376 (Buesgens) Education; Compensatory revenue concentration factor eliminated.
HF1222 (Abeler) Equalizing factors indexed for the debt service and referendum equalization aid programs. HF1772 (Doty) Debt service equalization aid program state support increased, and school bond agricultural credit created. HF1643 (Gardner) Referendum revenue modified. HF29 (Benson) Inflationary adjustment limitation removed. HF35 (Benson) Referendum allowance limit eliminated. K-12 Policy and Oversight
HF648 (Mariani) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator instruction guidelines established.
HF1667 (Mariani) Instruction of students temporarily placed outside of their district provisions modified.
HF751 (Benson) School districts authorized to create site-governed schools, and money appropriated.
HF981 (Bly) Charter school provisions amended, New Schools Minnesota commission established, private nonprofit corporation authorized.HF1179 (Mariani) Prekindergarten through grade 12 education provided, technical corrections made.
HF1179 (Mariani)Omnibus K-12 policy bill.
HF898 (Hornstein) Greenhouse gas reduction goals and strategies added to various state and metropolitan programs and plans, goals established for per capita reduction in vehicle miles traveled to reduce greenhouse gases and money transferred. (pending referral)
HF1340 (Mariani) Teacher preparation program established, and resident teacher license for qualified nontraditional candidates created.
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Upcoming Scheduled Education Committee Meetings
These committee meetings were current when published but schedules are very fluid at the legislature. If you plan on visiting a committee meeting, verify the agenda by clicking on the links below.
In the Senate . . .
None scheduled at time of publication. Click on the link above for updated information.
TUESDAY, March 31, 2009
2:45 PM Room: 10 State Office Building Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling Agenda: HF2033 (Faust) Research-based professional development funding provided for the St. Croix River Education District, "response to intervention" problem solving included, money appropriated. HF1046 (Mariani) Minnesota reading corps program established, and money appropriated. HF1177 (Garofalo) Early graduation achievement scholarship program established, money appropriated. HF1702 (Davnie) Grants authorized for the concurrent enrollment programs in the same manner as advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs, and money appropriated. HF751 (Benson) School districts authorized to create site-governed schools, and money appropriated. TUESDAY, March 31, 20095:30 PM Room: Farmington High School Little Theater; 800 Denmark Ave; Farmington, MN Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling Agenda: Education funding in growing school districts. WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2009
2:45 PM Room: 10 State Office Building Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling Agenda: HF1127 (Eastlund) National Guard and reserve member pay differential clarified for teachers. HF214 (Bly) School boards authorized to form business entity solely for wind energy projects, and production tax exemption provided. HF1179 (Mariani) Omnibus K-12 policy bill. - pending referral
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Committee Deadlines
Deadlines Set: It may seem like minutae, but the legislative deadlines often play a huge role in how the business of the legislature unfolds, especially near the end of session. This year, with the major budget challenges facing the state, the deadlines will likely take on even greater importance.
The deadlines are as follows:
First Deadline--Friday, March 27: Last day for policy committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin (in English, last day for Senate policy committees to act on Senate Files and House policy committees to act on House Files).
Second Deadline--Tuesday, April 7: Last day for policy committees in either body to act favorably on bills or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other house (in English, House policy committee may act upon HF XX if SF YY met the first deadline in the Senate).
Third Deadline--Thursday, April 16: Last day for House and Senate budget divisions to act favorably on omnibus education funding bills (This is the one the education community watches most closely, as Senator Stumpf and Representative Greiling will have to have the omnibus K-12 bills out of their divisions no later than this day).
Fourth Deadline--Wednesday, April 22: Last day for Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee to act favorably on an omnibus appropriations and tax bills.
Fifth Deadline--Thursday, May 7: Conference committee reports on omnibus appropriations and tax bills must be reported to the floor. This is new for this year and will give the Legislature nine working days to pass their major funding and tax bills and send them to the Governor for signature or veto. | |
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