Two MREA members have been appointed to the Minnesota Board of Teaching. They are among the five members newly elected to the board by Gov. Mark Dayton. Their terms begin this month and end in January 2017. Jim Grabowska is a school board member from St. Clair and currently works as a teacher educator of World Languages and Culture at Minnesota … Read More
Legislative Forum Proves Effective
Every February, MASA Region 1 holds one of the most effective legislative forums in Minnesota. School leaders from the region organize information about school finances and policy issues facing their districts. Legislators from the entire region are invited in to list their school leaders. MREA participated in this year’s forum on Feb. 2 in Rochester. The program is well designed and allows leaders … Read More
Mental Health in Schools Bill Introduced
U.S. Sen. Al Franken introduced the Mental Health in Schools Act to ensure that schools provide access to critical mental health treatment for kids who need and deserve these services. Sen. Franken’s bill would authorize $200 million per year for five years for grants to schools and community mental health centers to work with community-based organizations to expand access to mental health services for students. MREA is one … Read More
Participate in Digital Learning Day on Feb. 6
School districts from at least 49 states and the District Columbia will participate in Digital Learning Day on Wednesday. The 2013 Digital Learning Day builds on last year’s inaugural event that included participation by 39 states, 15,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students. Activities include: Town Hall Simulcast Attended by prominent national education and policy leaders and simulcast live, the national … Read More
Farm to School Grants Available
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is providing schools grants of up to $50,000. The grants support the Minnesota Farm to School Grant Program and focus on projects that stimulate the purchases of locally grown and raised food products. Grants need to be submitted by March 15. View the RFP and application. The goal of the Farm to School Grant Program … Read More
Report: 3 Things That Work in Education
MREA released a report Thursday focused on closing the achievement gap in Minnesota. The report identifies 3 Things That Work in Minnesota Education. MREA Executive Director Fred Nolan provided the report as testimony to the Minnesota House Education Finance Committee. This report outlines: The Practice How it works Data that proves its working How it has impacted students, teachers and … Read More
This Week: Budget Moves Forward, MREA Presents
The next week at the legislature will bring more attention to governor’s budget and education issues. Here are three of the week’s highlights: The Senate Tax committee will review Tuesday the Governor’s tax proposal. The House Education Finance committee will review Wednesday the Education Finance Reform Work Group recommendations. MREA will present on Thursday to the House Education Finance committee … Read More
6 Ways the Governor's Budget Affects E-12
The Governor’s proposed budget that was released on Tuesday would have a series of effects on Greater Minnesota schools. Here’s a look at six ways it could impact you: Basic Formula Governor Dayton promised during his campaign to increase the basic formula allowance in each year he’s in office. He accomplished that with ‘50&50’ on the formula in his first … Read More
MREA Shares Financial Requests with Senate E-12
MREA lobbyists Sam Walseth and Vernae Hasbargen on Thursday shared major financial requests of the legislature this session and their reaction to the governor’s budget with the Senate E-12 Budget Division. They gave kudos to the Governor for putting new state revenue on the table and made these three key requests: Do more than the down payment the Governor is … Read More
Governor Releases Budget
Governor Dayton released Tuesday his budget plan and as expected he’s proposing a significant expansion of the sales tax and an upper income tax increase in order to generate revenue to balance the budget, invest in education and give homeowners a property tax rebate. In an attempt to make it cost neutral to the average consumer, he’s proposing to lower … Read More