Senator Rod Skoe (DFL Clearbrook) leads the Senate Tax committee and as part of the overall Senate budget plan, he worked to send $150 million of the $463 million in property tax relief to the education budget. Last Thursday, he presented an amended version of SF 177 to the Senate E-12 Budget Division. SF 177, as amended, would combine equalization … Read More
Legislature Takes Spring Break
The legislature has cleared the second bill deadline and left town for Spring Break. The legislators reconvene session at noon on Tuesday, April 2. When they return the budget committees begin the scramble to assemble their omnibus bills. We are told the House and Senate education bills will be made public early in the week of April 8. All major … Read More
House K-12 Keeps Hopes Alive for Students at Bottom
By Vernae Hasbargen, MREA Lobbyist Facing an important legislative deadline, the House heard the companion bill to Senator Skoe’s Education Enhancement Revenue (SF 576) that brings students at the bottom in education funding up $300. In order for the bill to advance further, it must have been heard in both bodies before their Easter/Passover break. No bill could have more … Read More
Major Education Policy Reforms Survive First Bill Deadline
Last Thursday the House and Senate Education Policy committees put together omnibus education policy bills. Several major reforms made it into those House and Senate policy bills. There are always differences between House and Senate policy positions, but this year those differences are more nuance than substance. Here’s a look at what the current bills would mean: Grad Tests High-stakes … Read More
School Facilities Financing Moves Forward
The House Education Finance committee reviewed two bills last week that would assist schools in paying for building maintenance. HF 825 was amended so that the Safe Schools levy could be used to pay for upgrades needed to make buildings more secure. Unfortunately, the bill does not raise the amount that can be levied which currently is $30 per pupil. … Read More
Governor’s Budget Adjustments and Legislative Budget Targets
MREA reported last week that Governor Dayton was backing away from two major components of his tax reform and budget plan. The business-to-business sales tax expansion is dead unless the Senate DFL chooses to pick it up. House DFL leaders had backed away from it from the start. The Governor’s homeowner rebate is dead as well. The combined effect nets … Read More
Special Education Funding Formula Reform
A major recommendation of the Education Finance Working Group was Special Education Funding Reform. The working group made four recommendations: Significantly increase special education aid to reduce cross subsidies Replace the current expenditure reimbursement formula with a new formula based partly on school district enrollment and number of students in high-cost, low-incidence special education programs Improve the special education excess cost … Read More
Bill Deadlines: What to Expect
The first bill deadline has come and gone at for the 2013 legislative session. The first deadline required individual policy bills to clear all relevant policy committees in one body or the other in order to remain viable as a stand-alone bill through session. The second bill deadline, which is this Friday, requires those same bills to clear their policy … Read More
Special Education Increasingly the Focus
By Vernae Hasbargen, MREA Lobbyist When the Legislative Auditor presented a report on the increasing cost of special education to a joint meeting of the Senate and House K-12 Committees, he found a very attentive audience. “It’s important that this report gather momentum and not dust,” Senator Wiger concluded. This is the first report by the Legislative Auditor since 1997 … Read More
Focus Shifts from Student Equity to Taxpayer Fairness
By Vernae Hasbargen, MREA Lobbyist Education groups have lobbied for more revenue with mixed success by focusing on the funding gap between students. This year they have changed their tune and framed their argument with the taxpayer in mind. Fairness Depends on Equalizing Factors When Sen. Hoffman presented his bill to increase levy equalization, his most convincing argument was comparing … Read More