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Education
| Alternative teacher certification |
| Summary: This bill provides an alternative route for individuals who have gone through rigorous teaching programs – i.e. Teach for America, St. Paul Teaching Fellows – to become certified to teach in Minnesota. |
| HF 1340; Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul |
more info
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| SF 1342; Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka |
more info
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee |
| Senate Status: Referred to Education Committee |
| Call to Action: We support. Studies document that students placed with high-performing teachers progress three times faster than students placed with low -performing teachers. We support raising teacher qualifications; Minnesota’s Praxis test is one of the easiest in the country. Another avenue to strengthening the quality of teachers is to provide opportunities for experienced professionals to gain accreditation. |
| Charter schools |
| Summary: This bill would provide an alternative route for individuals who have gone through rigorous teaching programs – i.e. Teach for America, St. Paul Teaching Fellows – to become certified to teach in Minnesota. |
| HF 935; Linda Slocum, DFL-Richfield |
more info
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| SFR 867; Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury |
more info
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Finance Division |
| Senate Status: Referred to Education Committee |
| Call to Action: We support. Studies document that students placed with high-performing teachers progress three times faster than students placed with low -performing teachers. We support raising teacher qualifications; Minnesota’s score for passage of the Praxis test is one of the lowest in the country. |
| Elimination of GRAD requirement |
| Summary: This bill would allow students who cannot pass the GRAD test – Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma – to receive a high school diploma. |
| HF 501; Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul |
more info
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| SF 405; Charles Wiger, DFL-North St. Paul |
more info
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee |
| Senate Status: Referred to Education Committee |
| Call to Action: We oppose. This bill would take Minnesota a step backward in setting standards that have demonstrated they improve student achievement. At minimum, students should be given opportunities to retake the test and, if they still fail all of those attempts, be required to take at least the Basic Skills Test rather than no test at all. |
| Elimination of GRAD requirement |
| Summary: This bill would allow students who cannot pass the GRAD test – Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma – to receive a high school diploma. |
| HF 131; Marsha Swails, DFL-Woodbury |
more info
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| No companion bill; |
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee |
| Senate Status: No companion bill |
| Call to Action: We oppose. This bill would take Minnesota a step backward in setting standards that have demonstrated they improve student achievement. At minimum, students should be given opportunities to retake the test and, if they still fail all of those attempts, be required to take at least the Basic Skills Test rather than no test at all. |
| Higher education state grant program |
| Summary: This bill would make for-profit higher education institutions ineligible to receive state grant dollars. |
| HF 1414; Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove |
more info
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| SF 1361; John Marty, DFL-Roseville |
more info
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| House Status: Died in a committee but could be offered as amendment on House floor |
| Senate Status: No hearing scheduled |
| Call to Action: We oppose. This money is aimed at low-income students who otherwise are unlikely to continue their education |
| New Minnesota Miracle |
| Summary: This bill would increase K-12 funding by $2.5 billion annually, or 30 percent above existing levels, and creates a new framework for education funding. |
| HF 2; Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville |
more info
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| No companion bill; |
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Finance Division |
| Senate Status: No companion bill |
| Call to Action: We oppose. This bill seeks to increase K-12 funding without any accountability for the additional investment. To date, there is no proposal on how this measure would be funded, and there is no guarantee that the increased money would produce a more skilled workforce for Minnesota employers who must compete in a global economy. The bill also eliminates Q Comp, the alternative teacher compensation system that requires a portion of a teacher’s total pay increase be based on measures other than seniority and level of education. |
| Shared services |
| Summary: This bipartisan proposal would require Minnesota school districts and charter schools to combine efforts to reduce costs. School districts are compelled to pool limited resources in order to deliver more cost-effective resources, redirect administrative costs and reduce duplication. |
| HF 538; Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley |
more info
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| SF 10; Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka |
more info
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| House Status: Referred to K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee |
| Senate Status: Heard in K-12 Finance Committee and laid over for further discussion |
| Call to Action: We support and have testified for the bill. |
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