New Laws 2009: Education - Summaries of new laws from the 2009 session are being posted as they are prepared for publication; all summaries should be available by the end of July, Minnesota House of Representatives.

• H.F. 2 - Bill Summary - The 2009 omnibus education policy and finance bill, House Research.

#     #     #

Resources from the Minnesota School Boards Association:

• August 5, 2009 (Updated) - MSBA Legislative Summary 2009 Legislation Regular Session
  
  
• Legislative Mandates (2009)
  
  
• ABCs of the Legislative Game 2009 (PowerPoint) - Provides a review of the 2009 Minnesota Legislative Session and timeline for Federal Stimulus dollars for education.

July 16, 2009 - Surprise Resolution to Legislative Session Leaves Long-term Deficits - In June, the Governor announced his intent to use his unallotment power to implement a $1.8 billion delay in payments to school districts. There is some question, however, as to whether the Governor has the authority to pay school districts back in the future. So, unless the legislature acts, this could be a $1.8 billion cut in funding to schools, Minnesota Budget Project (Side-by-side comparison of the E-12 Education Proposals).

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.

• FY 2010 One-Time General Education Aid Reduction Offset by Federal Fiscal Stabilization Funds (District Impacts) - Reduces the FY 2010 general education aid entitlement by $500 million. This one-time reduction in general education aid is offset on a dollar-for-dollar basis by federal funds from the fiscal stabilization account created in the state treasury to hold the federal stimulus money (More Information).

May 29, 2009 - 2009 Legislative Session Summary: Early Care and Education - Most notably, neither the Omnibus E-12 Education bill nor the Omnibus Health and Human Services bill included any direct cuts to early care and education programs, Ready 4K.

• June 25, 2009 - End of Session Update: Unallotment - Early childhood was only minimally impacted in Governor Pawlenty’s unallotment recommendations. Child care assistance did not receive any funding reductions in the HHS unallotments. Head Start also did not see any reductions. School-based programs (ECFE and School Readiness) may be impacted under the K-12 shift but this will be determined on a district by district basis, Ready 4 K.

Additional Resources

Parents United News Archive: 2009 Special Features - Archive of resources related to Governor Pawlenty's 2009 education proposal, the state budget structural imbalance, and federal stimulus dollars, Parents United.

2009 Session Summary - The 2009 legislative session ended with painful consequences for many and without clear resolution, Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC)/Interfaith Children's Advocacy Network (iCAN).