On Tuesday, 33 school districts in Greater Minnesota are hoping their communities support their ballot initiatives for operating dollars or bonds for facilities. MREA wishes them all success in their ballot initiatives. Operating Referendums The Operative Referenda questions break down as follows, according to MSBA data: 28 School Districts running Operating Referendums 19 are increases (9 are renewals) 24 … Read More
A Facility Vision that Really Brings in Community
Matt Grose had a vision and spearheaded a bond referendum that passed with a remarkable 68 percent rate. What was different about this referendum than others the school district had not previously passed? Grose’s community-minded approach. Instead of focusing solely on the enrollment growth straining the elementary school, Deer River Schools Superintendent Grose expanded his vision to include the needs … Read More
MREA Announces 2016 Profiles of Excellence
MREA announced today the 2016 Profiles of Excellence Award recipients honoring the best practices and programs in schools in Greater Minnesota. Little Falls Community Schools received the 2016 Exemplary Award for its Flyer Media Productions video program. Deer River Public Schools earned the 2016 Honorable Mention for its community-minded execution of its bond referendum. “These programs highlight the ingenuity and … Read More
Members Provide Input on 2017 Legislative Issues
More than 120 MREA school board members, administrators and teachers participated in MREA’s Fall Member Meetings over the last month to provide input on issues likely to arise in the 2017 legislative year. The four major issues discussed were: Early Learning Rising early learning needs and attention Quality Teachers Increasing difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers Funding Student Needs Meeting student needs across the state … Read More
MREA to Host Virtual Meetings on Rural School Issues
MREA will host a series of On-Point virtual meetings in the next few weeks to gain feedback on specific issues currently impacting our Greater Minnesota schools: Concurrent enrollment and other post-secondary options, funding student needs, and small schools funding. Member feedback from the meetings will form the basis to build MREA’s Legislative Platform for the 2017 legislative session. Teachers, board members, and … Read More
Report Encourages Rural Education to Capitalize on Assets
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) recently released a report on the challenges and issues facing rural schools. This was a follow up to a 2004 study by NASBE and asked: what has changed in ten years, and what are new challenges facing state level policy makers? The report identified key issues facing rural education: High percentage … Read More
Missed Opportunities: No Special Session
After several rounds of negotiations this summer, Minnesota legislative leaders and Governor Mark Dayton failed to reach an agreement on terms for a special session that could have produced a bonding bill and a package of tax cuts. The straw that broke the camel’s back was non-federal matching funds for the Southwest Light Rail line between downtown Minneapolis and Eden … Read More
Phoenix Rising? Talks of August Special Session Emerge
When legislative leaders left St. Paul before the Fourth of July, it looked like the prospects for a special session to pass revised Tax and Bonding bills were dead. Just after the Fourth of July, the Governor met with House Speaker Kurt Daudt and suddenly talks of a special session re-emerged. On July 15, Governor Dayton, Speaker Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Tom … Read More
Farmers, Schools Await Special Session Passage of Ag2School
Farmers in 266 Minnesota school districts are waiting for a special session to pass the tax bill (HF 848) pocket vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton to receive an Ag2School 40 percent tax credit for school facility bonded debt on Ag Land starting in 2017. In 88 of those districts, the savings are projected to be $350 or more per $1 … Read More
Lack of Governor’s Signature Vetoes Tax Bill
The lack of Governor Mark Dayton’s signature yesterday on the omnibus tax bill means it has been vetoed. Included in the vetoed bill was Ag2School, a new school bond property tax credit for agricultural land. This also means nearly $260 million in tax cuts for next fiscal year and $500 million in ongoing, biennial tax cuts will not move forward without it passing … Read More