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State Representative Mary Franson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3201
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
POST SESSION UPDATE
News From Representative Franson
Below is an editorial I sent to the Staples World this week about education funding, and the funding we would have received in the GOP proposed Education bill.
Guest Editorial
Rep. Mary Franson, House District 11B
Staples-Motley Schools WOULD HAVE gained $652 per student.
Giving our children a world-class education is one thing that binds all Minnesotans together. Despite a $5 billion budget deficit, the five-month efforts of the Legislature shaped an education funding plan that not only increased funding in the state, it made overdue contract reforms, demanded accountability for our tax dollars, and repealed many of the state mandates on local school districts. This work and its great promise for our students were vetoed by Governor Dayton.
As the single largest component (41 percent) of state spending, there has always been debate about the amount of money the state should provide our schools. It may surprise you to find out that in this tough budget cycle there was only a minor difference (0.6 percent) between the legislature’s bill and the Governor’s request. The real debate centered on the need for reforms and where the money should be spent.
We campaigned on the promise to recalibrate our per pupil spending formula in the state and to address the widening gap between money spent on some Twin Cities school districts and those in the rest of Minnesota. That gap had widened to a discrepancy of not just hundreds but several thousands of dollars per pupil.
The now vetoed K-12 bill also provided for additional local control, greater funding equity, and improved teacher evaluations. For the Staples-Motley school district there was additional funding of $652 per pupil over the next two years. That is an increase from $9338 to $9990 per student in school revenue. Even with the economic issues we are facing, this bill committed significant resources to our schools.
Eliminated was the January 15th deadline for contract negotiations because fines paid to the state were detrimental to the kids and our teachers. The bill categorized our teachers as essential employees which lines us up with most other states including Massachusetts as an example. Tenure for our teachers did not go away, but it was to be granted on a five year recurring basis to ensure our good teachers are rewarded. Teachers of course retained their rights against retaliation, whistle blowing, discrimination, etc. through state and federal law.
The teacher effectiveness portion of the bill allowed for teachers to develop metrics with the administration and school board for 50 percent of their evaluation. The other 50 percent was based on gains in student performance as measured by objective and statewide tests. We received considerable feedback from teachers, administrators, parents, and students in the drafting of this bill. We believe that feedback resulted in a very good evaluation system for our teachers.
We allow local control of staff development funds to prioritize resources based on each school’s needs. This was a first step in putting the decision making for these funds in local hands instead of the state mandating where and how much should be spent.
The opportunity scholarships component of the bill related to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth where we have a number of schools with more than 40 percent of their students not performing at grade level for math or reading. For low-income kids in schools who have been in this category for three years or more, families were eligible to receive a limited scholarship to attend a school of their choice. President Obama recently reinstated a similar and highly successful program for Washington D.C. Studies have shown that in these unique circumstances student performance and public school performance both improve.
There are a lot of good things happening in K-12 education in our area. We are committed to continuing work to fund them, and to provide reforms that allow opportunities for all kids in Minnesota. Our education funding bill is proof that Minnesota’s budget can be balanced using reforms, but without increasing tax burdens on our neighbors.
We encourage you to continue to provide us with your feedback, talk to your friends and to urge the Governor to not hold the state budget-- especially a responsible and generous budget plan for education-- hostage to his desire for increased taxes on Minnesotans. Please call Gov. Dayton at (651-201-3400) or email (contact form: http://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/form/). You may also go to the website http://minngage.com/ to learn more about this and other bills.
News Items
- Legislative Update (May 24, 2013) - (Posted: May 24 2013 2:09PM)
- Legislative Update (May 17, 2013) - (Posted: May 17 2013 1:48PM)
- Legislative Update (May 10, 2013) - (Posted: May 10 2013 4:06PM)
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