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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL)

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Legislative Update - April 22, 2016

Friday, April 22, 2016

Dear Neighbors,

My request for an audit on Standardized Student Testing was passed by the Legislative Audit Commission on which I serve. An evaluation by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) will take place in the coming year. In taking preliminary steps toward this audit and deciding where to best place focus, OLA staff is seeking input from legislators on the issues of greatest concern to our communities. I think it’s very important that those in our community – especially educators and parents – have a voice in this process so I’d like to bring your attention to an upcoming meeting which may be of interest to you.

The OLA is hosting an informal roundtable on the topic next Friday, April 29from 11:00 a.m.-noon in room 300N of the State Office Building (100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, St. Paul). Specifically, they will be seeking input on the following questions:

- How well does the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) administer the state’s standardized tests?

- How effectively has MDE overseen the work of outside vendors that assist with test development and administration?

- How useful are state test results to school districts, charter schools, and policymakers?

- How much is being spent on standardized testing by the state, school districts, and charter schools?

If you are unable to attend in person, I invite you to share your thoughts with me, and I will relay them to OLA staff. This is an important audit which may result in recommendations to the Legislature which could lead to substantive changes to student testing. Collaboration will be key to this process, so perspectives of parents, educators, students, and other members of the community will help enable the best outcomes. I hope you will share your feedback with me.

Congratulations Columbia Heights!

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I want to congratulate the Columbia Heights School District and students. On April 6, I attended a celebration where the College Board announced Columbia Heights Public Schools has been selected by the College Board as the 2016 Advanced Placement District of the Year for small districts. This award recognizes the terrific work the district has done to expand access to Advanced Placement courses while at the same time improving performance on AP exams. This can only happen when teachers, administrators, and other personnel develop a culture whereby they see potential to succeed in each student, and push them to achieve at their highest level. The students are clearly tremendous assets to our community, and are to be commended for this accomplishment. I wish them the best as they pursue their educations and achieve their goals.

Transportation Reforms

My colleagues on both sides of the aisle helped me get my bill, HF 1780, through the Transportation Committee. This bill would help to improve transparency and accountability in our transportation system by ensuring the Minnesota Department of Transportation uses resources wisely, and creates a sustainable system for the future which ensures positive outcomes are reached in communities in every corner of the state, no matter the method Minnesotans choose to travel. I’ve collaborated with both democrats and republicans to work on this bill. The highlights of the bill include: creation of a Performance, Stewardship, and Sustainability plan for the trunk highway system, new performance targets, and a review and assessment of the department's organizational structure to enhance organizational effectiveness, encourage prudent allocation of resources, and deliver the greatest value to Minnesota.

It’s important for us to ensure MnDOT clearly links projects to the goals and needs of the people of our state. Accomplishing this will require a greater level of collaboration with local communities, and this bill gets us in that direction to create a transportation system that meets peoples' needs of all ages and abilities no matter their zip code.

With about a month left in the legislative session, I encourage you to stay in touch with your comments and questions. I invite you to contact me any time.

Sincerely,

Connie Bernardy

State Representative