With the end of the legislative session just over 3 weeks away, the optimism heard earlier from our elected state leaders that they would finish their job on time is diminishing. 

The House and Senate all cut budgets are $1.2 billion shy of eliminating the $5 billion budget deficit.  Although the current proposed base funding for our school is still supported by the legislators and Governor, it may all slip away during the final negotiation process.  Without some type of new revenue, deep cuts to education seem almost unavoidable. 

All things Florida

Florida's ex-governor Jeb Bush was in town on Tuesday boasting of the education reforms that dramatically increased 4^th grade reading outcomes in Florida.  Basically, this was a media event to promote the Florida reforms now included in the Minnesota's education omnibus bills as the presentation Bush covered was previously presented to both the House and Senate education committees earlier in the session.   If you are interested, here's the 36 minute press conference and the 50 minute presentation by Bush. 

Florida still lags significantly behind Minnesota in ACT and SAT college admissions scores and graduation rates.  MPR asks in this comparison, Why Minnesota would want to be like Florida?

It is important to note that Florida increased the per pupil funding 20% more than Minnesota did over the past 10 years.  Florida targeted the increased funding in research-based proven strategies including class size reductions to 15 students in grades K-3, access to high-quality early childhood programs, teaching teacher to teach reading with over 2000 new reading coaches placed in schools, and using data to drive instruction.  Maybe this was the real reform. . .

Conference committees plodding along

The education policy bills have passed out of committee
 SF1167, the Senate's K-12 education policy bill was essentially the Minnesota Departments of Education (MDE) technical policy bill minus anything that conflicted with any reform initiatives included in the Senate's  K-12 finance omnibus bills,  It did not contain any significant new policy provisions.  The education community appreciates the Senate's understanding that reforms are costly to schools and restraint is necessary during tough economic times. 

In the House version, HF1381, the MDE provisions were also forwarded.  In addition, two more reform measures were included:

1.    Establish end-of-course GRAD tests in algebra II and biology that students must pass to receive their high school diploma.  Not only was no money allocated to MDE for development of these state-wide assessments, the department's budget is being slashed. 

2.    Another Florida reform that had not been included in the K-12 education finance omnibus bill which would end social promotion in third grade if a student is not proficient on the MCAII reading test.  This reminds me of a quote I recently heard, "You won't fatten a pig by weighing it."  Similarly, you won't teach a child to read by telling a third grader to repeat 3^rd grade.   The proposal does require that the child receive a different educational experience in their second year of 3^rd grade by requiring a comprehensive and rigorous literacy instruction plan.  And, an amendment was adopted that parent's must sign-off on the retention of their child.

It is vitally important that our students are reading by third grade.  However, retaining students in 3^rd grade is probably the most expensive method to tackle literacy and studies show it doesn't work.  High quality early childhood programs, all-day kindergarten, highly trained reading teachers and an extended school year are the most effective proven techniques to have all our children reading at grade level by third grade.   It would be nice if we would see some of these strategies included (and funded!) in all these reforms.

We are not sure which of the many reforms will be kept alive through the conference committee process.  The Governor will most likely veto both the K-12 education finance and the K-12 education policy omnibus bills.  However, everything in the bills sent to the Governor remains in play right through the final negotiations between the Governor and the legislative leaders.