November 7-January 5 will be a very active political season. The political ads will disappear, but victorious candidates and the Minnesota Department of Education Working Groups will have busy and consequential schedules. It will be important for you and your district to be engaged. Call up your new or returning legislator and arrange a meeting, have them come to your … Read More
Sequestration Resources Available
At the federal level, the “Fiscal Cliff” looms. Regardless of who is our next President, Senators and Representatives are, the current incumbents must address the federal budget, or sequestration will begin Jan. 1. Weigh in on this issue with your congressional representative and with our state senators. Case sequestration should begin Jan. 1. Here are some resources compiled by the National … Read More
Ravitch Speaks in Minnesota
“Public education itself is at risk,” is how Diane Ravitch began her assertive address at the Ed MN conference on Friday. With a mixture of educational statistics, headlines with the background stories, and attack lines worthy of a Presidential debate, Ravitch called attention to “the agenda of deceptively named groups including Students First, MINNCAN, Democrats for Ed Reform, who are … Read More
MDE Clarifies New Food Guidelines Options
In a previous update, MREA shared that parts of the new federal school lunch guideline may be voluntary, according to a report from the American Association of School Administrators. However, MREA has received this clarification from Deb Lukkonen, supervisor of the Schools Nutrition Programs for the Minnesota Department of Education, regarding options to participate in the Federal School lunch Program. The … Read More
MDE Hosts Funding Listening Session at MREA Conference
Minnesota Department of Education will be hosting a listening session on school funding at the MREA Annual Conference on Nov. 11-12. It is one of only a few sessions offered by the group. The Education Finance Work Group has spent months examining Minnesota’s schools finance system and crafting recommendations about how to reform. The group will share its findings and hear … Read More
Identifying School Finance Issues
MREA has long supported greater state responsibility for covering the cost of educating Minnesota’s youth. The state of Minnesota has had a long tradition of equitably financing public education, but in the last decade that proud tradition has eroded, largely due to the state’s elimination of the of the general education levy in 2001. Economic downturns and competition for support for public health … Read More
Inside the Bullying Recommendations
MREA strongly agrees that schools should provide a safe and welcoming environment that is conducive for learning for each student. MREA reviewed the report from the Governor’s Bullying Prevention Task Force and identifies these key issues to be considered: Retraining of veteran staff. Should all teachers facing re-licensure be required to earn a certificate or licensure tag indicating they have completed a … Read More
Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act Effective This Year
HHFKA (Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act) was adopted by Congress in December 2010 and takes effect with this school year. MREA dug into the new federal act to give you an inside look at the details and how to implement it. Read about the politics of the law. Details of the Law The meal patterns are federally mandated. States have no … Read More
Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act: Politics of the Law
HHFKA (Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act) was adopted by Congress in December 2010 and takes effect with this school year. The advocates for the law include Deb Lukkonen, director of Minnesota School Food Service. She recently wrote: “One in three kids in the US is overweight or obese, and the number is growing! If we want our kids to live as long … Read More
Stage is Set for Nov. 6 General Election
Update — Stage is Set for Nov. 6 General Election Congressional Race Highlights With the primary election behind us, the path is now clear for the general election on Nov. 6. All eight Minnesota congressional seats are up for grabs this year, and two districts saw prolonged and often heated primary fights to take on incumbents. In both cases, candidates … Read More