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State Representative Tim Faust
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0518
For more information contact: Michael Howard 651-296-8873
NEWS COLUMN
Limiting Unfunded Mandates Improves Minnesota Schools
Everyone hates unfunded mandates where bureaucrats from Washington D.C. and St. Paul add more and more requirements on our schools without funding to pay for the mandates. That's why I authored legislation this year aimed at limiting unfunded mandates at the state level. I am optimistic the outcome will mean significant savings for Minnesota schools and allow teachers to spend more of their time teaching in the classroom and less time filling out paperwork.
The problem school districts are experiencing has been called "rule creep," which refers to the increasing number of rules and regulations that local school districts must comply with. School district superintendents shared at a recent legislative hearing that this "rule creep" has led to unfunded mandates, creating an increased financial burden that often has little positive effect and sometimes even negative effects on actual classroom instruction of students.
The legislation I offered put a "stop sign" in front of the Department of Education, preventing them from making any more unnecessary rules. The bill definitely got the attention of Minnesota Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren. After submitting the bill I authored in committee, I met with Commissioner Seagren and several legislators from both political parties and reached a compromise that should have immediate positive results for schools throughout the state. This compromise is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when Democrats and Republicans work together to make Minnesota schools more efficient and effective.
Commissioner Seagren has agreed to pull back several newer rules and, in the future, make efforts to issue rules that conform to existing federal guidelines. In addition, the Department of Education will take a look at all rules that have been adopted over the past ten years and examine the effectiveness of their administration.
The immediate financial ramifications are unclear, but Elisabeth Lodge Rodgers, Director of Student Services in Saint Cloud, estimated that one rule change alone could mean a difference of about $500,000 for Saint Cloud schools, and that's just one rule. The schools in our area stand to make significant financial savings, and in the process, more effectively educate our students.
When evaluating government operations, enhancing efficiency and eliminating waste are critical and difficult tasks. As legislators, we can sometimes use "addition by subtraction" by getting rid of unnecessary and inefficient bureaucracy in order to streamline better service. Especially given the current economic slowdown, these are the types of reforms we must look to first in our efforts to responsibly address the important challenges facing our schools and our state.
News Items
- Kyle Herman Bill Signed into Law - (Posted: 2010-04-28 00:00:00)
- To Students, Teachers, and Parents: Have a great year - (Posted: 2009-09-14 00:00:00)
- LEGISLATIVE SESSION CONCLUDES - (Posted: 2009-05-19 00:00:00)
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