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State Representative Jim Davnie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0173
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
HOUSE BRIEFS
Capitol Update — February 11, 2011
Dear friends,
This last week we have seen a mad dash of activity in the legislature. On Wednesday, February 9, Governor Dayton delivered his first State of the State Address. I appreciated his positive values and forward-thinking vision for a stronger and better Minnesota. He was blunt about the challenges he inherited and the difficulties that lie ahead.
Governor Dayton’s major theme was that for Minnesota to progress, we must invest. We must invest in more jobs, in education, in transportation, in the health of our people and communities, and invest in the transformation of government services.
Investing in our, schools, colleges, and universities will not only make it easier for us to produce highly-skilled workers, but it will also give us the opportunity to make Minnesota an innovation leader in industries for decades to come. Transforming state government will make it more responsive to people’s needs and hopefully provides an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. And much-needed investing in our crumbling transportation infrastructure will help move goods, services and people more quickly and allow us to better compete in the global economy.
That very evening however the House passed the conference committee report of HF 130 the GOP’s first crack at cutting the state budget. It cuts funding for local government services, higher education, and state funding for child protection services. It still included the odd provision of directing the Executive Branch to cut an additional $100 million from the current fiscal year without the legislature specifying where the cuts should occur. Governor Dayton vetoed the bill citing the impact the bill would have on property taxes and the renters’ credit, the legislature’s abdication of its responsibilities, and the piecemeal rather than comprehensive approach to the state budget.
Thursday the House also passed a bill opening up alternative pathways to getting a teaching license. While this proposal has been highly controversial in the past now the emphasis has shifted more to getting it done right.
While I have long been an active and vocal proponent of alternative teacher licensure, this bill doesn’t ensure that the teachers using the alternative pathways are qualified to teach effectively. Our students need the best and the brightest in the classroom, especially since most of the districts seeking alternatively licensed teachers are some of our neediest schools.
To ensure the high quality of teacher candidates, I believe that any alternative teacher licensure program must have a requirement that the alternatively licensed teacher either have a major in the content area they seek to teach, or professional experience in grades 7-12. This bill doesn’t have this requirement nor does not have a strong enough connection to our higher education institutions for these teachers.
Despite some attempts at compromise I still could not support HF 63 without these provisions. We all want great teachers for our students, but this bill, in its current form, doesn’t ensure that. Education Commissioner Casellius weighed in on the debate stressing the importance she placed on holding these candidates to high standards. Her letter, distributed on the floor, heavily impacted the debate. The bill now goes to a conference committee where hopefully it can be strengthened before it returns for a final vote.
Lastly I want to invite you to the two Town Hall meetings that Senator Torres Ray and I are hosting. The first one will be Tuesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. at Peace Coffee Wonderland Park store, 3262 Minnehaha Avenue. The other will be Saturday, February 19, 10:00 a.m. at Longfellow Park, 3435 36th Avenue South.
During this important legislative session, I encourage you to offer your insight, feedback, questions and concerns. My office door in St. Paul is always open, or you can reach me by phone at 651-296-0173 or by email at rep.jim.davnie@house.mn. Thank you for the honor of serving you in state government.
Sincerely,
Jim Davnie
State Representative
District 62A
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