Education
Session Wrap-up
For a complete look at new laws from the 2003 legislative session,
including those affecting education, the House Public Information Services
Office
has published a complete summary.
Click here
for New Laws 2003.
School funding: Minnesota’s public school districts and charter schools will be supported by about $11.9
billion in state general fund aid for 2004-05.
New laws: The Pledge of Allegiance is now in and the Profile of Learning and Department of Children,
Families and Learning are out.
Try again next year:
A quintet of education bills were heard by committees but failed to become law in 2003.
Stories from 2003
Pledging allegiance
(May 20): Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week will be a requirement in the state’s public
and charter schools this fall under a bill approved by both bodies.
Cause for termination
(May 13): The House passed a bill that would require a school district to provide written reasons for not
renewing a varsity sport head coach’s annual contract during the off-season.
Funding plan passes
(May 1): After nearly nine hours of debate, a K-12 education funding plan that provides no new money for
public schools and reduces a number of supplemental service programs for the next two years was approved by the House.
Updated standards (April
16): The House Education Policy Committee reviewed a streamlined, updated set of proposed academic standards
in English and math.
School definition (April
15): A bill that would redefine a public middle school to include those offering two consecutive grades was
approved by the House.
Online learning (April 4):
Establishing funding for online learning programs provided by a school district or charter school is the
intent of two bills before a House committee.
Mandate review (April 2):
State special education requirements that exceed federal mandates would be examined by the Rochester School
District and perhaps three others, under a bill approved by a House committee.
Game over (March 28): If a varsity sport head coach is fired without cause by a school district, he or she would have the right to a
due process hearing, under a bill heard by a House committee.
Pledge of Allegiance
(March 25): State public and charter school students would be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at
least once a week under a bill approved by the House.
New standards (March 12): Proposed new public school academic standards in English and math were provided to members of a House committee.
School board elections
(March 11): A bill that would allow a school district to convert from election by district to an election
at-large was approved by a House committee.
Mandate opt out (March 7):
A bill that could relieve school districts from following certain state policy mandates was approved by a
House committee.
Issues of leaving (Feb.
26): Leave of absences for public school teachers to teach at a charter school would be more strictly defined
under a bill approved by a House committee.
Profile repeal (Feb. 18):
The House voted to repeal the Profile of Learning graduation standards for state public school students.
Pledge recitation (Feb.
14): State public and charter school students would be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least
once a week under a bill approved by a House committee.
Filing licenses (Feb. 11):
Teachers would no longer have to file a certified copy of their teaching license with a school district,
under a bill passed 123-1 by the House Feb. 10.
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