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State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
ST. FRANCIS SCHOOLS TO BE COMMENDED FOR ADOPTING ‘Q COMP’
By State Rep. Tom Hackbarth,
District 48A
I recently had the opportunity to join Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Education Commissioner Alice Seagren when they formally announced that the St. Francis school district had adopted “Q Comp,” a new teacher compensation package based on student achievement and rigorous teacher evaluation and review. The district will receive a little more than $1.5 million in new state money for the 2005-06 school year to implement the program.
St. Francis teachers, administrators and board members are to be commended. It’s not easy to adopt change, especially something so fundamental. I was just one of many legislators who voted to increase K-12 funding during the 2005 legislative session. Substantially more money – 4 percent in each of the next two years – was added to the basic per pupil formula. But what made the education bill innovative was Q-Comp. Some $86 million in extra money was held out for school districts willing to embrace the innovative reform. St. Francis became only the third school district in the state to seize the opportunity. In our enthusiasm to give more money to schools, we can’t abandon our desire to improve how we fund schools.
Minnesota has been a national leader in education reform. We were the first state to create charter schools and a tax credit for education expenses. We’re a national leader in providing high school students the option of pursuing college-level coursework to help give them a leg up toward college. Q-Comp follows that trend. It gives teachers a unique opportunity to enhance their skills – which will help raise student achievement – and then compensate them based on their performance, not just seniority. Better teachers make better students and happier parents.
Rep. Hackbarth is the state representative for House District 48A which includes Elk River, Burns Township, Oak Grove, Bethel and East Bethel
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