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Election 2010
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January 26, 2010 - Delayed payments to school districts, April-May 2010
Sortable file showing delayed payments by district, Minnesota Public Radio (supporting article).

January 25, 2010 - Ideas for Change in America 2010: Education
Submit ideas you would like to see implemented, discuss ideas with others, and vote on the top ideas from across the country, Change.org. Attn: Minnesotans! Deliberately submit thoughtful, legitimate ideas to get the conversation going.

January 20, 2010 - All But 10 States Throw Hats Into Race to Top Ring
Forty states and the District of Columbia applied for the first round of $4 billion in the Race to the Top Fund competition, which pits states against each other for desperately needed money, bragging rights, and leverage to implement controversial education reforms such as merit pay for teachers, Education Week (Minnesota Race to the Top Districts/Schools, MDE, 1/15/ 2010; final awards will be announced in April).

January 14, 2010 - GENERATION M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds

The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device. When surveyed about their grades, about half (47 percent) of heavy media users (young people who consume more than sixteen hours of media a day) said they usually get fair-to-poor grades (mostly “C”s or lower). Conversely, only about one quarter (23 percent) of light media users (young people who consume less than three hours of media a day) said they get fair-to-poor grades, Kaiser Family Foundation (New York Times article).

New Report: The Road Map to College and Career Readiness for Minnesota Students
Defines what students need to know and what we can do to help all Minnesota students graduate qualified for and prepared to succeed in postsecondary education and/or training, Final Report and Recommendations of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Working Group presented to the Minnesota P-20 Partnership.

Companion Report: Ideas for the Future: Aligning Minnesota’s Educational Systems to Prepare All Students for Higher Education and High-Skill Employment - A summary of conclusions reached by working groups of the Minnesota P-20 Partnership.

Upcoming Events

Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity Release
2/18/2010 9:30 AM
State Capitol Rotunda, St. Paul
Organizing Apprenticeship Project

Parenting Magazine: Send a Mom to Congress

Deadline for applications: March 15, 2010
Parenting Magazine is sponsoring the first Mom Congress on Education and Learning at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in May for moms who have made a real difference in the fight for better schools.

School Improvement: What it Means for your Child in Special Education
2/23/2010 6:30 PM
PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington.

Organizer Roundtable: Community Partnerships for Success
2/24/2010 12:00 PM
Model Cities Community Room, 839 University Avenue, Saint Paul. Sponsored by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability.

2004-2009 News

Bloomington schools must continue to struggle with shortfall
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Harvey T. Rockwood, Bloomington Sun-Current
Like many metro area school districts, Bloomington Public Schools faced a daunting task of planning for the district's funding, said Rick Kaufman, executive director of community relations for the district.

Closings, cuts challenge Anoka Hennepin School District in 2009
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Wendy Erlien, MN Sun Newspapers
It has been quite a year. That short statement by Anoka Hennepin School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson just touches on the tip of the ice burg of challenges District 11 faced in 2009. Challenges Carlson expects to see continue into 2010 and beyond without the state funding more for education.

One Levy up, another down
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Mille Lacs County Times
Milaca schools' levy is down.

Tough times for state led to uncertainty for Dakota County school districts in 2009
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Grant Boelter, MN Sun Newspapers
Dealing with a large and growing deficit, the state essentially froze funding for both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. On top of that, about 8 percent of what districts receive from the state was deferred to next year, which could again be the case the following year.

Judge rules against Pawlenty on budget cuts
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Pat Doyle and Baird Helgeson, Star Tribune
The governor's unilateral budget cuts are ruled improper, which could prompt more lawsuits and a new budget fight. "The Governor crossed the line between legitimate exercise of his authority to unallot and interference with the Legislative power to make laws, including statutes allocating resources and raising revenues."

Frustrating year financially for Eden Prairie schools
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Chris Olwell, Eden Prairie Sun-Current
Earlier this month, the Eden Prairie school district cut about $4 million from its 2010-11 budget, completing the process of axing programs and dozens of jobs that had taken nearly all of 2009.

Gearin's order changes 2010 game
12/31/2009 12:00 AM
Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune
Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin's order Wednesday blocking one piece of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's midsummer unallotment is far from the final word on the topic -- even from her.

In This Section

Election 2010

At the Capitol

For Immediate Release

Upcoming Events

Parents United Updates

Key Reports

Parents United Updates

February 5, 2010
Session begins!

February 1, 2010
Tuesday, Caucus Night; Thursday, Session Begins

January 19, 2010
Gear up for Session 2010!

At the Capitol

Senate Committee on Education
2/9/2010 8:30 AM

House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
2/9/2010 8:30 AM

For Immediate Release

February 5, 2010 - On-going budget problems impact education
Schools for Equity in Education

February 4, 2010 - President’s Education Budget Eliminates Sole Federal Parent Engagement Program
National PTA Action Alert

January 26, 2010 - Introducing Minnesota Compass
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation

January 20, 2010 - Race to the Top Application Submitted to Washington with Overwhelming Support from Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Education

Minnesota Budget Bites via RSS

Cash flow plan includes delays in school payments
It’s no surprise to hear that the state will be facing a cash flow problem this spring…but now we know how the administration will be handling the situation. Earlier this week, Jim Schowalter, the State Budget Director, presented the plan to the Legislative Advisory Committee. The state’s cash flow problems for this fiscal year (FY 2010) are projected [...]

Our first week on Facebook
OK, so we haven’t been on Facebook for a full week yet, but we’ve already had some interesting information to share. With the legislative session gaining steam – there is sure to be much more to come. We promised that we’d find a way to get that information out to those of you who are not on Facebook (or twitter). So [...]

Congressional action needed to ensure that emergency unemployment benefits do not expire
Minnesota’s December unemployment rate was down from its 8.4 percent June peak, but many Minnesotans remain out of work and unable to find it. In January, the state said there were approximately 141,000 Minnesotans collecting state unemployment insurance. Another 88,000 Minnesotans had run out of state unemployment benefits and were receiving federal emergency unemployment benefits [...]