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The following is a quick recap of major points covered by the House and Senate Omnibus Education Bills:

HF 6 House K12 Education Omnibus Bill
Total $919 million includes $125 million in property tax relief

• Increases the per pupil formula 3% each of the two years of the biennium.
  
  
• Provides $106 million to pay special education cross subsidy.
  
  
• Provides $95 million for voluntary All-Day Kindergarten.
  
  
• Lifts the five year cap limit on English Language Learning services.
  
  
• Provides $152 million for technology upgrades, establishes a school technology task force to propose technology standards and systems and an interoperability framework, gifted and talented programs, 21st Century high school initiatives and library funding.
  
  
• Continuation of a new formula study (The PS MN provision). This bill includes a school finance reform task force charged with creating  an adequacy index, examining categorical funding programs, simplifying the  formulas and examining the role of the regional delivery system. The House  and Senate are to appoint four members each to the task force and  recommendations are to be submitted to the legislature by January 15, 2008.
  
  
• Requires ½ credit of Physical Education for graduation.
  
  
• Funds the Office of Educational Accountability through the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota. This provision calls for the OEA to sit an advisory group of measurement experts to consider and recommend how to structure school performance data and school performance report cards to fully, fairly and accurately report student achievement.
  
  
• Requires school districts to provide responsible family life and sexuality education programs with consultation of parents and guardians of enrolled students when establishing policies, procedures, curriculum and services.
  
  
• Includes a Parent Involvement policy, proposed by the  Minnesota PTA.
  
  
• Includes five World language pilot program grants of $50,000 per school site or school district.
  
  
• Establishes an alternative school calendar pilot program, application required.
  
  
• Increases school lunch subsidy

SF 2095 - Senate E12 Education Omnibus Bill
Total $498 million includes $110 million in property tax relief

• Provides $376 million to pay special education cross subsidy.
  
  
• Creates a consolidated levy out of several smaller levies therefore providing property tax relief.
  
  
• Restores ECFE Early Childhood and Family Education funding to 2003 levels.
  
  
• Establishes a School Force Task force to complete the work begun by PS MN.
  
  
• Allows a career and technical education course to fulfill a science, math or arts credits requirement for graduation.
  
  
• Includes IB programs in the list of eligible programs for grants to raise student achievement.
  
  
• $62 million of unused QComp money is redirected to classroom programs and property tax relief.  Schools currently receiving QComp funding will see no funding change.
  
  
• Increased funding for technology, libraries, science and math education and after school programs.
  
  
• Establishes the Minnesota Reading Corps Program for early literacy.
  
  
• Includes a Parent and Family Involvement Policy proposed by the Minnesota PTA.
  
  
• Pilot programs for FY 2008 and 2009 for Mandarin Chinese by application.
  
  
• Provides early childhood credits to be used for school readiness programs
  funded as a pilot program with $2.1 million.
  
  
• Increases school lunch subsidy.

See also the February 23 Overview of the Governor’s Proposed Education Budget.