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
Governor Focuses on Early Education in State of State
In just over 30 minutes on Thursday, Governor Mark Dayton outlined some of the facts and public kudos that point to Minnesota’s economic success among other states. He called upon the legislature to act boldly on education, water quality and transportation. His education comments focused on increased early learning programming and investments. Dayton challenged those who continue to argue taxes are … 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
$22 Million Proposed for Concurrent Enrollment
A bill presented last week in the House would provide $22 million over the next two years for all schools to expand concurrent enrollment or College in the Schools programing. The bill requires participation and expenditure information for career and technical education courses offered as a concurrent enrollment course. It allows 9th and 10th grade students to apply to enroll in a … Read More
Senate Presents Bill on Indian Education
The Senate E-12 Finance Committee on Thursday heard and laid over SF2027 sponsored by Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) that would expand funding to more schools for Indian Ed programming. The bill mirrors the Governor’s supplemental budget with additional state funding for several programs that support public schools districts with 20 or more American Indian students and each of the state’s … Read More
Flexibility in ECFE Transfers Presented
Minnesota school districts could transfer money between their ECFE reserved account and their school readiness reserved account, under a bill presented last week. The House Education Finance Committee on Wednesday heard HF1643 sponsored by Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL-Duluth).MREA is strongly advocating for these types of bills this session. As a reminder, a special law passed in 2013 (see Laws 2013, chapter 116, … 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