Education Finance Conference Committee Finishes Its Work

And Just Like That!  The conference committee process is not unlike making Jiffy Pop.  The ingredients are there, they are shaken up a bit, and voila!, the final product arrives in a jiffy (at least this year).  This has not been a year where vast differences in priorities have existed between the House and Senate majority caucuses and with a limited target of $43 million, there wasn’t much money to move around into a plethora of measures.  Funding and some policy changes to the READ Act are priorities that were shared and while there may have been some division in responsibilities for the updates and additional funding have been split between the omnibus education policy bill and the omnibus education funding bill, the end result is more funding, more flexibility, and a delay in training requirements by one year.  While everyone involved in the discussion around the READ Act–ranging from reading advocates to practitioners to administrators–are in full support of greater funding, there has been some pushback on how the new money will be distributed with stipends for teachers receiving training.  As I understand it, districts will have to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with their local bargaining units that will govern how the money will be directed.  The additional funding for the READ Act will comprise more than 90% of the $43 million target that the conference committee was considering.  Approximately $3 million will go to pilot projects to discern effective strategies to reduce student absenteeism and truancy.

There are also several working groups included in the bill with one looking closely at the absenteeism issue and discussing ways to solve that problem.  Other than that, the bill largely avoids any major issues, but does provide some clarification on programs that were enacted last session.  The same can be said about the omnibus education policy bill except for the policy surrounding the process for removing books from school and public libraries.  That is an issue that did pop up and generate considerable discussion in the discussion during the final passage of the omnibus education policy conference committee report and I expect it will when that conference committee report hits the House floor.  The other issue generating some heat is the policy surrounding student newspayers and what limits can be placed on what can be published in them.  Mandates are in the eye of the beholder, but you can also rest assured that the mandate issue will loom large in the discussion of the education bills as the session winds down.

The omnibus education policy conference committee report passed on the Senate floor on an almost straight party-line vote of 35-31 on Monday.  Republican State Senator Jim Abeler was the only Republican to cross party lines to vote in favor of the bill.  He had served on the conference committee and had signed the report and had voted in favor of the final passage.

Speaking of the READ Act.  For those who don’t follow politics that closely, there was a special election yesterday to fill a vacancy on the Hennepin County Board that was won by current State Representative Heather Edelson (D-Edina) meaning that she will be leaving the Legislature at the end of the session to assume a seat on the Hennepin County Board.  As she departs the Legislature, I would be remiss if I did not recognize her for her absolutely dynamite work developing and promoting the READ Act.  She put together a piece of landmark legislation and sought input from every interest group as it was constructed.  She insisted on bipartisanship and was ardent in reaching across the aisle and if the other side of the aisle even if the other side of the aisle withdrew their hand at times.  She deserves our thanks and while it may take a few years and a more dollars to achieve the READ Act’s objectives, any Zenmaster will tell you “Every journey begins with a single step.”  Make no mistake, Senator Edelson and her Senate author Senator Erin Maye Quade, have taken a giant first step.  Hennepin County is richer for having her on their board, but the Minnesota Legislature is losing a quality member who has been a model legislator able to work with diverse groups and legislators with diverse viewpoints.  Best wishes to Representative Edelson as she moves on to her next challenge.

Things are Moving!  Although it doesn’t look like it from the outside (and often from the inside), the Legislature is working toward adjournment with alacrity (minus the cheefulness).  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be comprised of end-to-end floor sessions with conference committee reports (some of which contain a measure of controversy) will be hitting the floor.  There will be a time squeeze and hopefully the Education Finance Conference Committee will be able to be wedged into these action-packed days.