The U.S. Department of Education recently released a report showing a growing need for high-quality public preschool options across the nation. The report, A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America, shows that of the four million 4-year-olds in the United States, about 60 percent—or nearly 2.5 million—are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs, including state preschool programs, Head Start and … Read More
E-12 Funding Bills To Emerge
Just as children are anxious the night before Christmas, so too are education lobbyists who have waited until this point of session to see what House and Senate education leaders have in store for education funding specifics this year. We know the various spending levels: the House is a $157 million and the Senate is now at $361 million. But … Read More
School Districts Share Impact of 1&1 Funding
Responding to an MREA survey, 124 school superintendents across Greater Minnesota reported the impact of the proposed 1&1 funding for education would mean larger class sizes, fewer electives and hundreds of pink slips. The report results reveal rural Minnesota can expect 160 teachers and 80 support staff to be laid off or not replaced and a total of $17.4 million in … Read More
Federal Every Child Achieves Act Introduced
Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray last week introduced the Every Child Achieves Act, the Senate HELP Committee’s bipartisan, comprehensive proposal to reauthorize ESEA. “In a nutshell, this bill is good. It takes the pendulum of federal overreach and prescription and swings it to state and local control,” said Noelle Ellerson of NREAC. “It reels back the federal hand print in … Read More
Disparity Aid Proposed for Low Property Wealth Districts
Legislators are reviewing a bill that allots disparity aid for school districts with low property wealth in Minnesota. The bill would provide mostly exurban districts that have low general education revenue and property wealth per pupil with general education disparity aid allowance based on their adjusted net tax capacity per adjusted pupil unit. Some rural schools would qualify – those include Foley, … Read More
Center to Open for AMI Economic Development
MREA applauds the Minneapolis Federal Reserve for creating the Center for Indian Country Development. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will start a national center to spur economic development on Indian reservations and reduce poverty, announced Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. Persistent poverty in American Indian communities, passed down through generations, shows the need for more research and energy … Read More
MREA Announces Annual Conference Focus
MREA announced today that its Annual Conference will focus on Great Beginnings: When Learning Starts Early, Inspires and Applies. The 2015 keynote address will focus on early learning and the conference will provide breakout sessions on a variety of timely topics from early childhood education to college and career readiness. MREA members identified early learning as one of the top legislative … Read More
What Will 1&1 Mean for Your Students?
MREA prefers mix of formula, targeted funding for facilities and School Districts without QComp to address the TDE requirements, and tax base equalization for Rural Education. The reality is that 1 percent and 1 percent, commonly referred to as 1&1, is inadequate. If Minnesota elected leaders invested half the $1.9 billion surplus for education, they could address facilities, TDE, move towards … Read More
Legislature Returns to Take on Budget
The Minnesota Legislature reconvenes at noon on Tuesday, April 7. Budget committees will continue reviewing individual budget requests this week as legislators and interest groups make their last minute attempts to find their way into an omnibus spending bill. The next phase of the session is for omnibus spending bills to roll out of their respective committees. Omnibus Budget Bills … Read More
New Funding Initiative to Eliminate Tobacco Inequities
A new funding initiative to support communities working to eliminate tobacco inequities has been announced by the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. While the overall smoking rate in Minnesota has decreased dramatically, particularly in recent years, there are populations that still experience high levels of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, and who continue to … Read More