Dear Friend,
In the last update I mentioned the budget and transportation proposals put forward by the Governor and legislative bodies and what I had written about them. Since then I’ve written about education. You can read my most recent guest column on education at The Northfield News. You can also listen to last week’s radio segment with Jeff Johnson here 2/11/15 and this week’s here 2/18/15.
Discussion on Drivers Licenses
This Sunday, members of the clergy from around Rice County will be joining me, Sen. Dahle and Sen. Jensen to discuss the difficulty undocumented individuals face from being unable to obtain drivers licenses. Please come and listen to the discussion.
What: Discussion on Undocumented Drivers Licensees
Where: St. Dominic Catholic Church - 216 Spring Street North
When: Sunday, February 22 from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m.
Free Early Childhood Screenings
Northfield will be holding free early childhood screenings on March 2nd, 14th, and 19th at Longfellow School. All children over 3 years old are required to complete an early childhood screening before entering kindergarten. Not only do these free screenings ensure that children are ready to enter kindergarten, they identify any hearing, vision or health issues, and connect children and their families with community resources when needed. It’s encouraged children get screen shortly after they turn 3 to identify issues as early as possible. To schedule a screening visit Northfield Early Childhood Screening.
Events in the District
I’ve been out in the district meeting with farmers about issues such as property taxes and the Governor’s 50 foot buffer proposal. I’ve worked to ensure that property taxes remain manageable for family famers by supporting programs such as Green Acres. I hope we can continue to keep property taxes in check this legislative session. The Governor’s buffer proposal would move enforcement of the existing buffer laws from individual counties to the DNR. This is in recognition of the fact that many counties don’t have the resources to enforce buffer rules. Buffers help reduce pollution, including excess nitrogen which can been a significant health risk and cost to the public.
Friday morning I participated in a Career Fair hosted by Northfield High School. I shared my experiences as a teacher and what it’s like to be in public service as an elected official. It was encouraging to see so many 10th graders enthusiastic about their futures.
On Saturday I attended “Forecasting Change: Minnesotans Respond to a Changing Climate,” one of the Love Your Plant events hosted by the Greater Northfield Sustainability Collaborate. It was interesting to hear from a diverse group of leaders on what Minnesota will be facing and how we should be preparing for climate change. A local farmer mentioned that with the volatility of corn prices, cellulosic biofuels made from diverse perennial crops may make the most economic sense for both farmers and the environment. I’ll likely be writing about this and energy in general in my next column.
Charter School Bill Hearing
Last week we had a hearing on one of the bills I’ve authored, HF 557, which will ensure smaller charter schools receive the funding they need. Simon Tyler from Prairie Creek Community School and Ryan Krominga from Arcadia Charter School joined me in testifying on this bill in the House Education Finance Committee. The audio can be found here. I’m hopeful that we can move this initiative forward and support Minnesota’s smaller public charter schools. In addition to that bill, you can see the bills I’ve authored and co-authored at those links.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any thoughts, concerns or comments you have. In addition to e-mail, I can be reached at 651-296-0171.
Sincerely,
David