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July 1, 2009 - Senate Majority Leader and Education Chair say Gov. Pawlenty is “cooking the books”
“This is not a shift; this is a cut to schools,” said state Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, chair of the Senate Education Committee. “If you take money away but don’t have a plan or the ability to pay it back, that’s a cut. Commissioner Hanson acknowledged these cuts would be on the state books ‘in perpetuity’.”

July 1, 2009 - Minnesota Management & Budget releases list of Governor’s approved unallotments
Today is the first day of Fiscal Year 2010 and the first day that the Governor’s $2.7 billion in unallotments can start to take effect. For the most up-to-date list of unallotments, download this list of “Approved Unallotments and Administrative Actions,” released July 1 by Minnesota Management and Budget. (Source: MN Budget Bites)

June 19, 2009 - Legislature challenges Governor’s unallotment decisions
Christina Wessel, Minnesota Budget Bites
On Thursday afternoon (June 18, 2009), Tom Hanson, Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), presented the Governor’s unallotment plan to the Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC). This is a required step in the unallotment process. Legislators were prepared with plenty of questions…and lots of challenges (you can watch the video online). But remember, the LAC does not have any authority to reject or change the Governor’s unallotment decisions....

Does the Governor have the authority to enact the school aid payment shift?
The $1.8 billion proposal to shift aid payments to schools really has two components – a payment deferral ($1.2 billion) and a change in when property tax receipts are recognized ($600 million). Pogemiller strongly asserted that the Governor does not have the authority to enact the property tax recogniztion component of his plan, leaving a $600 million gap in his unallotment proposal. Pogemiller threatened legal action if the Governor continued to pursue this part of his unallotment plan.

Senator Pogemiller and other legislators also argued that while the Governor may have the authority to carry out the delay in payments to school districts (the $1.2 billion part), he does not have the authority to pay the shift back to schools in the future. So, he argued, the Governor’s proposed school payment shift is really a $1.2 billion cut to school districts unless the legislature authorizes the payment to schools in the future. However, pointed out Pogemiller, since the Governor vetoed the tax bill, there will be no additional revenue available to make schools whole again.

Commissioner Hanson and the staff from the Department of Education insisted that the Governor has the necessary authority to carry out everything he proposes. - More -

June 16, 2009 - K-12 Payment Deferrals and Adjustments - $1.77 billion
Beginning in FY 2010, aid payments to schools will be temporarily reduced, generating $1.17 billion in savings. In addition, under M.S. 123B.75, the Commissioner of Education will require school districts to recognize a portion of their levy revenues when they are received, Minnesota Management & Budget.

“Shifting state aid to public education from one year to the next is a devastating blow to Minnesota’s schools. Because of Gov. Pawlenty’s decision, those school districts that have a balanced budget will now have to borrow money to pay their bills and then have the additional burden of paying interest on that loan. Those school districts lucky enough to have a budget surplus will spend it on the governor’s budget adjustment and not put it in the classroom where it belongs."

—John Fitzgerald, Minnesota 2020

2009 Standardized Test Math Scores: Quality and Equity?
June 10, 2009 - The Minnesota 2009 standardized test scores in math – taken by this year’s high school junior class - are in and the results are both disappointing and illuminating. The results suggest that the majority of Minnesota students are far from meeting the academic standards established by the state, while we continue to have severe disparities in outcomes based on race. No matter what measurement approaches we use, Minnesota continues to create unequal K-12 outcomes that follow racial and income lines. To build a strong Minnesota all students must acquire strong skills regardless of their race and income, Minnesota Minority Education Partnership Executive Director Carlos Mariani responds to GRAD results.

June 8, 2009 (Draft) - 2009 Session Summary Released
Summary of 2009 Omnibus E-12 Education Act (Chapter 96) and 2009 Omnibus Tax Policy Act (Chapter 88); Chapters 88 and 96 were signed into law May 16, 2009, Minnesota Department of Education.

May 28, 2009 - Draft K-12 Science Standards Released
The Science Standards Revision Committee has completed the final draft of the revised Minnesota K-12 science standards, Minnesota Department of Education.

Upcoming Events

Feedback Requested: High School Assessment and Accountability

Now through July 15, 2009
In late May, the Minnesota Legislature passed and Governor Pawlenty signed a law authorizing the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for the next generation of Minnesota’s high school assessment and accountability system. This task force is inviting interested individuals to share their thoughts on some of the key the issues the task force will address over the next seven months.

Your input is requested!

In the fall of 2009, the task force will release and seek feedback on a set of recommendations for the next generation of Minnesota’s high school assessment and accountability system. The task force will present its final recommendations to the Commissioner of Education and the legislature before the end of December, 2009.

National Civic Summit
7/15/2009 9:00 AM
Minneapolis Hilton. Free and open to the public.

Follow the Federal Dollars: A Guided Tour Through the Federal Budget Process
7/28/2009 10:00 AM
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave W, St. Paul.

Governor's Residence Open for Tours

1006 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul
1-3 pm, First Three Tuesdays - June, July, August

Minnesota Budget Bites via RSS

MMB releases list of Governor’s approved unallotments
Today is the first day of Fiscal Year 2010 and the first day that the Governor’s $2.7 billion in unallotments can start to take effect. For the most up-to-date list of unallotments, download this list of “Approved Unallotments and Administrative Actions,” released just today by Minnesota Management and Budget. -Katherine Blauvelt Posted in unallotment [...]

Senator Franken’s committee assignments
Today I’m sure you heard the news that Al Franken will become our U.S. Senator. Via the Senatus blog, Congressional Quarterly reports that Senator Franken’s committee appointments will be: Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Judiciary Committee Special Aging Committee Indian Affairs Committee Looks like he will be sworn in after the U.S. Senate returns from recess on Monday, July [...]

D.C. meetings with Congressional delegation offer insights on tax issues
I recently returned from several days in Washington where I met with key staff from the Minnesota Congressional delegation. Our discussions included, among other issues, the permanent extension of tax credits benefiting low- and moderate-income working families, such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, reform of the federal estate tax, and the [...]

In This Section

At the Capitol

For Immediate Release

Upcoming Events

Full News Archive

Parents United Updates

Key Reports

A Region Apart: A look at challenges and strategies for rural K-12 schools (4/27/2009)

Education Watch State Report (3/27/2009)

2009 Tax Incidence (3/20/2009)

Governing with Accountability (3/16/2009)

Exploring the Supply and Demand for Community Learning Opportunities in Minnesota (3/13/2009)

2008 Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity (3/12/2009)

Educating Minnesota’s Immigrant Students Phase II: Solutions (2/27/2009)

Minnesota’s Future: World-Class Schools, World-Class Jobs (2/13/2009)

MN Counties Redesign Proposal (2/11/2009)

LCEP Report & Recommendations (2/6/2009)

2009 State of Students of Color and American Indian Students (12/2008)

The Lost Decade (12/5/2008)

Smart Investments in Minnesota’s Students (12/3/2008)

Parents United Updates

June 29, 2009
The unallotment situation for schools heating up and further analysis of the 2009 Legislative Session.

June 15, 2009
Further Analysis of the 2009 Legislative Session

2009 End-of-Session Update
The first Minnesota Miracle was first presented in 1967 and did not pass into law until 1971 -- after two elections, including one gubernatorial election. It will be back.

For Immediate Release

July 1, 2009 - Senate Majority Leader and Education Chair say Gov. Pawlenty is “cooking the books”
State Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and Senate Education Chair LeRoy Stumpf

June 29, 2009 - Commissioner Hanson responds to Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller
Commissioner Tom Hanson, Minnesota Management & Budget

June 25, 2009 - Letter to Commissioner Hanson requesting information on the education-related concerns raised at the June 18 Legislative Advisory Commission meeting
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Lawrence J. Pogemiller and Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher