A kindergarten basic — learning to share — is a lifelong lesson not lost on school districts that have been sharing purchasing power and administrative services in order to save money.
Now districts are collaborating in other areas. Some are planning a common calendar and daily schedule, coordinating professional development and student activities or forming larger pools to offer better health insurance rates.
Reps. Marsha Swails (DFL-Woodbury) and Carol McFarlane (R-White Bear Lake) recently co-chaired a work group on education shared service, soliciting ideas and information from stakeholders. The resulting bill, HF1665, sponsored by Swails, would establish an online clearinghouse under the state auditor’s purview where school districts, regional education organizations and other government entities could post their best practices and link to service providers.
“We were looking for a common-sense tool for people to use that was not mandated,” McFarlane said. “We know that our school boards and our school administration want to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars, and they already are. … This is a tool for them to be able to do that.”
The bill was approved in its original form by the House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee March 19 and in an amended version by the House K-12 Education Finance Division March 25. It now awaits action by the House Finance Committee. Its companion, SF1559, sponsored by Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt), awaits action by the Senate Education Committee.
While sharing services isn’t new to school districts, said Minnesota Rural Education Association Executive Director Lee Warne, “House File 1665 creates that opportunity for these ideas to be brought together and have them go viral.”
“They had a really unique idea, and they started by listening to school districts to actually find out what was going on in shared services,” said Minnesota School Boards Association Director of Governmental Relations Grace Keliher, who attended work group meetings.
“It is common sense. We fully support this,” Keliher said.
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