House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a DFL candidate for governor, addressed her priorities for the 2010 Legislature with the Minnesota Chamber Board of Directors. Dave McMillan of Minnesota Power, Duluth and 2009-2010 Chair of the Minnesota Chamber Board, recognizes outgoing Chair Ginny Morris of Hubbard Radio, Minneapolis. Joe Swedberg of Hormel Foods Corporation, Austin, receives the Spirit of Minnesota Award. 'Joe is the consummate volunteer,' said Ginny Morris of Hubbard Radio, Minneapolis, 2008-2009 Chair of the Minnesota Chamber Board. Sharing their experiences at a Grow Minnesota! event were Mike Elftmann of Custom Fab Solutions, Chanhassen; Joe Richburg of Keystone Computer Solutions, St. Paul; and Edie French of I Dream.TV and Location Images, Minneapolis. Leadership Minnesota participants receive an up-close look at the logging industry during a tour hosted by UPM-Blandin Paper Company. Sanjay Kuba of GCI Systems, St. Paul, visits with Cheryl Adams, a forest ecologist with the company. Scott Wise, CEO of Polaris advances his priorities with Governor Tim Pawlenty. Business leaders gain firsthand access with key policy-makers at Minnesota Chamber events.

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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
SF 1342; Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka             more info
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
SFR 867; Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury             more info
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
SF 405; Charles Wiger, DFL-North St. Paul             more info
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
No companion bill; 
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
SF 1361; John Marty, DFL-Roseville             more info
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
No companion bill; 
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
SF 10; Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka             more info
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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