| | | May 1, 2009 - Legislative Update
Schools for Equity in Education
What's Happening at the Capitol
Several things will happen in the next seven days that will set the tone for the remainder of the session.
- The Senate, House and the Governor must come to agreement on a single target for each area of government. Although the targets will be set, the conflict on how to raise revenue and where to make reductions will continue. For K-12 education, the Senate set a previous target to cut education by 3.2%, the House's target is to hold funding flat and the Governor has proposed a small increase.
- Once the targets are set, the individual conference committees must finalize their bills quickly as the deadline to process the omnibus bill out of committee is Thursday, May 7. Once a bill leaves the conference committee it CANNOT be amended. The final education omnibus will be voted on the floor in both the House and Senate and then continue to the governor for signature or veto. Therefore, the negotiations in conference committee are vitally important. Of course, all omnibus bills that come out of the legislature will depend on tax increases for funding. The governor has promised to veto any tax increase. It is hard to see how the state leaders will reconcile their differences. However, the omnibus bills are the starting point of discussion in the final negotiations.
- The fate of the New Minnesota Miracle Bill rests in the hands of the education conference committee. Rep. Mindy Greiling who is co-chairing the education conference committee has championed this bold reform and included the provision in the House K-12 education omnibus bill. The Senate did not. If the Senate cannot be persuaded to include the New Minnesota Miracle in the final education omnibus bill, this effort to provide our schools with the resources they need so that ALL children will succeed is very likely to come to an end.
Education Conference Committee
The education conference committee members are listed below. The committee is co-chaired by Rep. Mindy Greiling and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf. The "gavel" alternates between the two. Whoever has the gavel schedules the next meeting, determines the agenda, and chairs that meeting. The education conference committee met for the first time on Wednesday night. They reviewed side-by-side comparisons of the individual provisions included in the Senate and House bills. Brad Lundell, executive director for SEE, has created a side-by-side comparison of the major issues.
On Thursday night, the committee accepted (by voting) the provisions that were identical in language. Today, they will address those provisions that are similar. The proceedings will become much more difficult once the actual target is know and they wrestle with the differing priorities between the House and the Senate.
House Members
Representative Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville)
email: rep.mindy.greiling@house.mn
Phone: 651-296-5387
Representative Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul)
email: rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn
phone: 651-296-9714
Representative Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood)
email: rep.nora.slawik@house.mn
phone 651-296-7807
Representative John Ward (DFL-Brainerd)
email: rep.john.ward@house.mn
phone: 651-296-4333
Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington)
email: rep.pat.garofalo@house.mn
phone: 651-296-1069
Senate Members
Senator LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls)
email form:
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1063&ls=86
phone: 651-296-8660
Senator Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood)
email: sen.chuck.wiger@senate.mn
phone: 651-296-6820
Senator Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury)
email: sen.kathy.saltzman@senate.mn
phone: 651-296-4166
Senator Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield)
email: sen.kevin.dahle@senate.mn
phone: 651-296-1279
Senator Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista)
email: sen.gen.olson@senate.mn
phone: 651-296-1282
Alert: What is the Fate of the New Minnesota Miracle?
Of noted concern is the fate of New Minnesota Miracle Bill. The proposed phase-in of the Minnesota Miracle is over four years beginning in 2014. By putting the New Minnesota Miracle into statute, the work will not be lost and the legislature will be forced to continue the conversation of adequate education funding.
In conference committee, Rep. Greiling stated that this reform is necessary for the state to meet its constitutional obligation to fund education. She also pointed out that with 2 years, and possibly even four years, of flat or reduced funding, the New Minnesota Miracle would merely provide inflationary increases to our schools. This new funding system is based on research that evolved from the 2003 Governor's School Funding Task Force and through the work of PS Minnesota. It would stabilize education by providing adequate, equitable and predictable funding.
She concluded that the New Minnesota Miracle provides a glimmer of hope for education by recognizing that the economy will bounce back and Minnesota will be poised to finally prioritize education with the promise to invest in its future.
However, Sen. Stumpf responded with the deep concern for the current economy and a dim outlook for the future. He acknowledged that New Minnesota Miracle defined the level of need in our schools. He noted that he was a realist and did not ever see a time when Minnesota would be able to provide the adequate resources to our schools as outlined in the New Minnesota Miracle.
The ten conference committee members will vote on this issue within the week, possibly even this weekend!
Budget Negotiations Become More Transparent
State leaders will determine the budget targets within the next few days. Margaret Kelliher, Speaker of the House and Larry Pogemiller, Senate Majority Leader are using the Legislative Commission of Planning and Fiscal Policy to have public negotiations with the Governor. Tom Hanson, Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, has been appointed by Governor Pawlenty to be his chief negotiator. Normally, these negotiations are done behind closed doors. See the Minnesota Budget Project for more information.
What Can You Do
I know I mainly address the funding crisis facing our schools. It just seems that focusing on other issues, such as whether to mandate an additional 1/2 credit of phy-ed in high school or to institute a new growth model, is a little like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Will any of that matter if our schools are decimated by significant cuts?
1. State leaders and the education conference committee members need to hear from you NOW! By next week, I will be reporting the contents of the final education omnibus bill. Leaders need to support small increases to education funding and minimize accounting shifts. The conference committee members needs to understand that our schools will be making inflationary cuts during the next two year. Therefore, additional mandates must be avoided. Plus, the New Minnesota Miracle must be included in the final education omnibus bill.
Sample emails are below to help you get started. You can cut and paste the email list below into your email. The phone numbers of each committee member is shown above. Sen. Stumpf, especially, needs to be contacted. He uses an email form. It requires a separate step, but please take the time to fill out the form. You can cut and paste your letter directly into the form.
tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us, rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn, rep.tony.sertich@house.mn, rep.mindy.greiling@house.mn, rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn, rep.nora.slawik@house.mn, rep.john.ward@house.mn, rep.pat.garofalo@house.mn, sen.chuck.wiger@senate.mn, sen.kathy.saltzman@senate.mn, sen.kevin.dahle@senate.mn, sen.gen.olson@senate.mn
LeRoy Stumpf : http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1063&ls=86
The Senate Leadership has web forms to fill out as well. If you can, please take the time to contact these leaders.
Senator Larry Pogemiller - Majority Leader:
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1048&ls=86
Senator Tarryl Clark - Assistant Majority Leader:
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1071
2. Sit in on an Education Conference Committee meeting. The schedule is very fluid so check frequently for up-to-date meetings times. The members need to see a high level of concern for their work from the public.
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
email: deb.griffiths@schoolsforequity.org
web site: www.schoolsforequity.org
Sample Letters
Ideas To Get You Started... I often have people tell me that they would email but they just don't know what to say and they ask me to provide them with sample letters. I don't want to put words in your month but I understand that it would be helpful to provide some samples. I have compiled a number of sample letters below to get you started. These are just ideas. Go ahead and write your own note. If you get stuck feel free to use the samples. You can mix them up and change the wording and tone to reflect your own voice and concerns. What is lacking from all these samples are real stories about real children and what could happen if our schools have to make drastic cuts. Please add those stories if you can. We have to get the legislators to see past the numbers and see the faces of our school children.
Always include your name, address and phone number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
Don't cut funding for public education! For the past 17 years the basic formula has increased on average of ~1.5% while inflation has increased 3%. Every year, our schools have gotten half of what they needed just to keep up with inflation let alone address the additional state and federal mandates.
Eventually, the economy will improve. Minnesota needs to be in a position to thrive. A well educated work force will ensure our future prosperity. This legislature and governor must not jeopardize the future for our kids and our state when dealing with the challenges of today.
The "New Minnesota Miracle" needs to be included in the K-12 Education Omnibus Bill to be phased in beginning in 2014. That's the long-term solution. For now, public education needs small inflationary increases, relief from mandates, minimum shifts AND for the State to leave local district's fund reserves alone.
Sincerely,
Name,
Address
Phone number
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
K-12 education needs your support. Education is not like other areas of the government where inflation.We need to have an honest conversation about what different budget cuts will mean. A budget cut, for example, in Health and Human Services results in slowing down the growth. A cut in K-12 education slashes into the base.
As my legislator, I am asking you to protect Minnesota's future prosperity by standing up for our schools today. The "New Minnesota Miracle" needs to be included in the K-12 Education Bill to be phased in beginning in 2014. That's the long-term solution. For now, public education needs small inflationary increases, relief from mandates, minimum shifts AND for the State to leave local district's fund reserves alone.
Please speak with your leadership and let them know how important K-12 education is to your constituents.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
I recognize that times are rough. My concern lies with my child's education. Next year, my son will be in [first] grade and it is [his] one chance to be a [first] grader. He won't get a do-over when economic times improve. If his class balloons to 40 students and all support is cut (which is possible if drastic cuts are imposed by the state), how will he ever get the base he needs to succeed academically?
The lost opportunities for him and the other children in his classroom can never be recovered. Aren't we all depending on these very children to be our future workforce? If we expect to depend on them in the future, they must be able to depend on US now! Please increase funding for education, minimize shifts and resist any attempts to tap into local district's fund balances. Plus, the "New Minnesota Miracle" needs to be included in the education bill even if the phase in can't begin until 2014. By doing that, Minnesota will begin to treat education as the priority that it is.
Please speak with your leadership and let them know how important our schools are to the people in your district.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
The Minnesota Constitution states: "The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state."
The size of the deficit is staggering. The only responsible solution will contain a thoughtful combination of budget cuts and revenue increases. People in the state of Minnesota understand this and we need our leaders to work together to find a solution that deals with the immediate problem while working towards a long term vision of a stronger and more vibrant Minnesota. That vision must put the education of our children first. The governor and our legislators need to honor their constitutional obligation to provide for our schools. It's the right thing to do for our children and our state.
Tthe "New Minnesota Miracle" needs to be included in the education bill even if the phase in can't begin until 2014. By doing that, Minnesota will begin to treat education as the priority that it is.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
I understand that these are extremely challenging times. Decision will have to be made that will take a real toll on people's lives. I am asking you, as a leader in this state, to look past the present and lead us into a more promising future. A highly educated work force has always been Minnesota's greatest asset. Education is the engine that drives Minnesota's economic growth. Therefore, K-12 education must be the state's number one priority.
For the past 17 years, the basic formula has not kept pace with inflation. Our greatest asset is already under great stress. Further funding cuts will threaten the very survival of our schools. Please support language in the K-12 Education Bill to phase in the "New Minnesota Miracle" beginning in 2014. That is truly the level of resources that our school need. In the meantime, don't cut education, provide mandate relief, reduce funding shifts and don't consider utilizing local district's fund balances.
Thank you for listening.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative/Senator,
Education is a priority for me and I am concerned about possible cuts to education funding. A 3.0% cut to [list your district her]) will decimate our schools. My children only have this one shot at their education and cannot have a redo when times are better. I believe these rough economic times will end and Minnesota needs to be in a position to prosper. Dismantling our public school system, in the long run, will cripple Minnesota's ability to recover.
I would ask that you make education a priority and speak to your leadership to do the same.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
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.
 Read the SEE update
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