Accessibility menu
State Representative Tim Kelly
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8635
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
HOUSE EDUCATION FUNDING PROPOSAL INCREASES ACCOUNTABILITY
This past week, Minnesota House lawmakers began the unenviable task of reducing our projected $5.2 billion budget deficit. To do this, we’ve been approving various comprehensive spending bills for each area of state government. K-12 education was one our most debated plans, and while everyone recognizes it is critical to fund our schools, it was also important to realize that the business as usual policies within the education system could no longer continue.
The goal of this proposal was to provide more equitable funding to our rural school districts and to make education more accountable to the general public.
As part of the education funding proposal, per-pupil funding would increase by $86 in years 2012-13 and $40 in 2014. It’s also worth noting that the plan adds funding for smaller schools with less than one thousand students.
But the bill also focuses on reform and accountability that ultimately will improve Minnesota’s education system. It eliminates integration aid, which has not worked well at all, and adds those funds to the per-pupil formula. If there are programs that were producing positive results that were funded with integration aid, the districts can certainly still prioritize those and fund them. The legislation also relieves school districts of state-imposed mandates.
The proposal also lays out a system for teacher licensure and performance evaluation based upon teacher performance, with 50 percent coming from student academic growth and 50 percent from a locally determined evaluation system. The last hired, last fired system would be replaced by teachers being let go in order of their performance status. An annual performance-based principal evaluation system model would also go into effect beginning in the 2013-2014 school year.
Under the plan, teacher contract negotiations would take place from March to October the first year, and in the summer months the second year. In this way, our teaching professionals can focus on this most essential job of educating our children during the school year. If no agreement can be reached, the parties must go to arbitration. An arbitration process that puts both sides at the same level would prevent a work stoppage, and keep the educational focus where it belongs, on the kids.
As we put this bill together, we thought it was important to focus your money on programs that show results and make everyone who works in the education system accountable for their performance. It was also important to submit a plan that provides stable, equitable funding for schools across the state. This bill meets those priorities.
News Items
- CONFERENCE COMMITTEES SHAPING IMPORTANT BILLS AT LEGISLATURE - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
- TAX RELIEF AND JOB CREATION BILL APPROVED IN MINNESOTA HOUSE - (Posted: 2012-03-22 00:00:00)
- MORE GOOD NEWS FOUND IN LATEST STATE BUDGET FORECAST - (Posted: 2012-03-06 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.