Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

E-12 conferees talk without target

Published (5/8/2009)
By Kris Berggren
Share on: 



Although the E-12 education conference committee still lacks a budget target, conferees are “not stalled at all,” Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville) said May 6.

“The House has not agreed with the Senate to split the difference” between the two omnibus bills, said Greiling, chairwoman of the House K-12 Education Finance Division. The difference in the proposed appropriations is about $500 million.

Conferees, however, are moving toward some policy agreements. The Senate submitted a policy offer May 6 indicating it would accept some House proposals allowing districts to authorize site-governed schools, approving special education reforms on restrictive procedures and expanding the P-20 partnership to include four members of the Legislature.

No action was taken on the offer pending House members’ consideration of other Senate proposals such as allowing the St. Cloud school district to continue to receive Q Comp revenue despite repeated warnings by the education commissioner that it is out of compliance with its agreement; adding physical education to state academic standards; and, an alternative teacher training program for nontraditional candidates seeking a two-year temporary licensure.

Another difference is in the bodies’ shared services proposals. House conferees don’t support the Senate idea to mandate that districts work with a consultant who would be paid up to 5 percent of any savings garnered from sharing services or cooperative purchasing. Instead, they prefer a plan whereby the state auditor would create a Web site to congregate existing best practices from districts or regional cooperatives, which would cost $11,000 to set up and $4,000 a year to maintain.

House members also resist the Senate’s proposed 12-hour per week requirement for school readiness programs. Members agree with research indicating at-risk students benefit most from high quality early learning programs they attend at least 12 hours a week, but say some programs would be forced to cut students if required to expand hours. The Senate would allow districts to levy for the expansion. Assistant Education Commissioner Karen Klinzing suggested at the committee’s May 5 hearing the possibility that sites be required to offer 12-hour per week programs but permit some students to attend fewer hours if parents prefer or can’t afford more.

A number of differences remain unresolved including state academic standards, student assessments and Other Post Employment Benefit measures, as well as significant changes to the education finance formula. The Senate offers a consolidated levy that would replace three existing levies with a statewide average rate based on adjusted net tax capacity, which would raise some property taxpayers’ burden but lower others. The House proposes the “new Minnesota Miracle,” which would simplify the education funding formula, including eliminating the property tax levy as part of that formula in favor of state aid.

Although Greiling and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), conference committee co-chairs and sponsors of HF2*/SF1328, have met with Gov. Tim Pawlenty to negotiate, the governor indicated his disappointment with several House and Senate positions in a May 4 letter.

For example, the House doesn’t support the governor’s desire to mandate Q Comp statewide by fiscal year 2011 at a cost of about $41 million that year, followed by $53 million and $55 million, respectively, in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, nor his “pay for performance plan” linking extra district funding to student test performance, which would cost about $90 million in the next biennium and $101 million the following biennium. The letter said he considers these “critical” to the bill’s chance of becoming law.

The House bill also excludes the governor’s “Teaching Transformation Act” in favor of a proposal to enhance teacher professional development. Pawlenty warned in the letter that these provisions are “critical,” and failure to include them in the final bill “will jeopardize the likelihood of the bill’s success.”

Session Weekly More...


Session Weekly Home



Related Stories


The year without a K-12 law
School funding is flat, no reforms enacted
(view full story) Published 6/1/2010

House K-12 omnibus bill fast-tracked
Senate slow to respond with companion legislation
(view full story) Published 5/13/2010

K-12 education omnibus bill stalls
Teacher licensure proposals in contention
(view full story) Published 5/6/2010

K-12 education bill moves forward
Measures would activate reforms, stabilize school funding
(view full story) Published 4/29/2010

Resuscitating Race to the Top bid
New bid could hinge on proposals to boost teacher effectiveness
(view full story) Published 4/22/2010

Raiders of the lost fund
Slew of reforms could boost Permanent School Fund income
(view full story) Published 3/25/2010

Schools shore up state’s checkbook
Obscure law forces drawdown of school reserves before state can borrow
(view full story) Published 2/25/2010

At Issue: No shifts, no cuts
Education funding in a holding pattern
(view full story) Published 5/29/2009

At Issue: E-12 education bill that might have been
Funding held steady with no shifts proposed, but no Minnesota Miracle
(view full story) Published 5/15/2009

At Issue: Investing in quality care for kids
Lawmakers hope for long-term benefits of early investment
(view full story) Published 4/24/2009

At Issue: Building a better formula
Omnibus K-12 education finance bill floor debate highlights obstacles
(view full story) Published 4/24/2009

At Issue: Whose values are they anyway?
Lawmaker carries on family legacy with sex education bill
(view full story) Published 4/17/2009

First Reading: One school doesn’t fit all
Efforts put forward to tailor charter school law
(view full story) Published 4/10/2009

At Issue: Hopeful education goals in a dismal year
Omnibus bill addresses changing needs and future demands
(view full story) Published 4/3/2009

At Issue: Getting kids to move
Bill aims to ensure ‘No child left on their behind’
(view full story) Published 2/20/2009

First Reading: Accountability funding for all
A ‘New Minnesota Miracle’ requires a leap of faith
(view full story) Published 2/13/2009

At Issue: Q Comp found wanting
Performance measure has perks, but is it affordable?
(view full story) Published 2/6/2009

At Issue: Reforming education, saving money
Bipartisan support shown for mandate reduction and shared services
(view full story) Published 1/23/2009

Feature: Passing the torch of democracy
Youth immerse themselves in lingo and actions of lawmaking
(view full story) Published 1/16/2009