As we move through today’s educational evolution, how can you best plan the path of changes needed for your students’ success? Start by planning to attend MREA’s 2016 Annual Conference: Making Teaching Matter. Breakout session presenters will share how to improve opportunities for our students to succeed in their classrooms, schools, and lives. Making Teaching Matter will offer nearly 40 sessions in total and provide ample networking and … Read More
MDE Hosting Meetings on ESSA, State Plan
The Minnesota Department of Education will host regional meetings throughout the state to discuss the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Commissioner Brenda Cassellius and staff want to learn and hear thoughts about ESSA and the vision so far for Minnesota’s state plan. ESSA, the nation’s latest pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education law, was signed into law in December 2015. It’s the newest version … Read More
Technology, Teacher Recruitment Top Priorities in Omnibus Bill
The House and Senate Education Committees passed their education finance bills on schedule last week. They neatly bracket the Governor’s target of $60.77 million. The Senate’s budget tops $100.5 million, while the House spends $52 million. Both bodies assume that several districts with Capital loans will repay their loans thus providing the state with an infusion of $52 million. Even … Read More
Budget Forecast Retracts to $900 Million
The updated state budget forecast released today reveals a slight retraction in the $1.2 billion surplus initially projected as of December to $900 million, according to Minnesota Management and Budget. Legislative leaders now have to grapple with the budget news as they head into session on March 8. The competition for tax cuts, transportation spending and early learning funding just got more … Read More
ESEA Rewrite Passes U.S. House
The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), 359 to 64, on Wednesday. The bill, molded out of ESEA, reduces the federal role in education for the first time since the early 1980s, handing greater control over accountability and school improvement back to states, while maintaining and increasing funding important to schools. It keeps in place the NCLB … Read More
White House Praises Passing of ESSA
The Obama Administration today is praising action by the House of Representatives to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan bill to fix No Child Left Behind, and is calling on the Senate to take swift action on the legislation so that it can be signed into law before the end of the year. The bill rejects the … Read More
Share Voice at Area Meetings
MREA invites all its members to attend an Area Meeting this August and September to share their voice on issues important to their school district. Area Meetings start Tuesday in Walker and Wednesday in Virginia. Every fall MREA’s advocacy staff hits the road to gather input from MREA members. We review outcomes from the last legislative session, preview upcoming issues, and help members understand how their districts are impacted. Check out … Read More
A Few Surprises in Testing Reform in Minnesota
There are always surprises and possible unintended consequences in newly enacted legislation. One example is the noble goal of reducing the amount of testing time by students. While curbing the time students spend on standardized testing is an almost universally supported idea, to achieve this goal the Minnesota Legislature reduced the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) testing budget in half. This … Read More
MDE Releases Look Up Table on Impacts
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) just released the FY ’16 and ’17 runs and look up table based on the results of the 2015 special session signed education bill. MREA downloaded the report and makes it easily accessible here: View the impact on your school. School districts can see the financial impact the bill has on their respective districts by putting their … Read More
Governor Signs E-12 Bill into Law
The special session of the Minnesota Legislature ended over the weekend and the Governor Dayton has signed all of the special session bills into law. The E-12 bill, now Chapter 3 of the 2015 Special Session (SS HF 1 for those who want to look it up) provides $525 million for E-12 schools over the next two years. View details by issue. Overall the … Read More