February 13, 2009

What is Happening at the Capitol?
The House Education Policy and Oversight committee spent the week hearing about the components of the Governor's Teacher Transformation Act from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). While not in bill form yet, the committee is taking the opportunity to vet these policy changes and have asked for testimony from: the Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education on the present training of our teachers; testimony from the U of M's College of Education and Human Development on their data regarding what produces effective teachers; and Peter Hutchinson from the Bush Foundation, which plans to focus on recruiting, training, placing and retaining the highest quality teaching force possible.

The committee also spent time hearing about the effectiveness of the Science and Math Teachers' Academies--new in law--and the collaborative relationships that have developed with the STEM initiatives (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

Along with beginning to hear specific bills, the House K-12 Education Finance Division heard testimony about the cost of student assessments and both the House and the Senate heard testimony from Dr. William H. Schmidt of Michigan State University, who has been tracking Minnesota's performance on the TIMSS test (Trends in International Math and Science Study); our students' recent performance on this international measure has caused national attention for Minnesota's schools. Dr. Schmidt shared his belief that the coherence, focus and rigor of our standards allowed our teachers to help our students outperform other nations.

HF 2, dubbed the New Minnesota Miracle bill, had its first go-round in the House K12 Education Finance Division this last Tuesday. Read testimony from Parents United and West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School Board member Reine Shiffman.

In this issue

A Look Ahead

February 19 - February 26: Don't forget -- Joint Senate-House Committee hearings coming to you!
Here's a great opportunity to attend one of the many joint Senate-House committee hearings being held around Minnesota in the next two weeks. These hearings will present overviews of the Governor's budget. It is so difficult for parents to get to St. Paul-this is your chance to meet with legislators in your own backyard. Please take advantage of it!

The report from the Special Education task force will be presented Tuesday, February 17 in House K-12 Education Finance Division.

On Wednesday, February 18, the MDE is scheduled to present information regarding the federal stimulus package and its effects on Minnesota public schools in the Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division.

In this issue

At the Federal Level
We have been watching with interest the developing federal stimulus package. This week alone has seen rapid change on what is in and what is out. It will be interesting to listen to the latest information at next week's Senate meeting.

In this issue

What Can I Do?

Attend a Town Hall Meeting! Find the location closest to you and stop in to listen. If you would like to speak at one of the hearings, you can use the State Legislature's portal to sign up for that.
» If you sign up to speak, prepare a written statement with your contact information you can give to the committee administrator should the schedule be too full for you to have a chance to speak, and check out these Parents United resources for tips on Preparing Testimony and Presenting Your Case.
Spread the word! Let people know about these meetings and be part of building a strong showing!
Attend the March 16 Parent Leadership Summit—and bring a friend!

In this issue

At the Website

From the Minnesota Budget Project, a summary of the Governor's education budget proposal.
But What About Tomorrow? (Power Point) - Education Is The Key To Productivity, and economic growth will depend increasingly on productivity growth; Report from Tom Stinson, Minnesota State Economist and Tom Gillaspy, Minnesota State Demographer (PDF File).
2009 State of Students of Color and American Indian Students, from the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership (Executive Summary, registration required) - In order to meet the new realities posed by a growing racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse student community, Minnesota must comprehensively realign its education system.
Get a summary and watch video of the Early Childhood Summit at the Minnesota Capitol on Jan. 28

Check out all the News and Hot Topics at our website!

In this issue

Bills Being Heard
If you are interested in following any of these bills, you can track them.

K-12 Education Finance Division,Chair Rep. Mindy Greiling

HF2 (Greiling-DFL-Roseville) School finance system modified, and new education funding framework created.
HF104 (Dittrich-DFL-Champlin) Permanent school fund revenue required to be set aside for school technology purposes.

E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, Chair Sen. Leroy Stumpf

SF 142 (Sieben-DFL-Newport) Independent school district #200, Hastings; alternative facilities bonding and levy program eligibility.
SF 68 (Kubly-DFL-Granite Falls) Independent school district #2853, Lac qui Parle Valley; fund transfer authorization.
SF 327 (Koch-R-Buffalo) School districts staff development revenue use for CPR and automatic external defibrillator training.
SF 344 (Jungbauer-R-East Bethel) Compensatory revenue pilot project continuance and appropriation for certain school districts.
SF 86 (Bonoff-DFL-Minnetonka) Alternative teacher compensation aid calculation for intermediate school districts modification.
SF 343 (Jungbauer-R-East Bethel) Alternative teacher compensation long-term commitment levy and revenue program expansion.

In this issue

“Childhood has no rewind: Our children cannot go back to grade school and
get another education when times are better and we all have more to give.
When the playground is empty and the children are gone,
either we will have sacrificed for them, or we won’t."
—from a Parents United poster

Please join Parents United in our efforts to build the political will and community consensus necessary to provide a world class education for all Minnesota students.
Donate online — it's quick and secure.
Thank you! You are a valued partner in our work.

We welcome your feedback on this update and our work. Please take a few minutes to let us know what's helpful to you.

Questions? Email Mary Cecconi

Parents United for Public Schools
1667 Snelling Avenue N., St. Paul, MN 55108
651-999-7391
www.parentsunited.org