Students ask for system support; Schedules posted

Yesterday at the Capitol
Senate Higher Education committee members heard from students and faculty with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and the University of Minnesota yesterday about the role higher education plays in their lives and in Minnesota, and the impact of cuts to the two systems. Geoff Dittberner, Vice President of the Minnesota State College Student Association, said that without a strong Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, it would be impossible to meet the state's workforce needs, and he urged committee members to keep in mind the system's principles of access, opportunity and success; high quality learning; enhancing the global economic competitiveness; and innovating to meet educational needs.

Caitlin Stene, Vice Chair of the Minnesota State University Student Association, or MSUSA, told committee members that state university system students ask how they can push the system to be the most innovative in the nation, and the state cannot afford to restrict access to higher education. Chair of MSUSA, Andrew Spaeth, told members that the organization's 75,000 students would urge them to keep in the forefront of their minds that these students are the workforce of tomorrow.

Today at the Capitol
8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: Presentation: Career and Technical Education in the 21st Century (continued) Presenter: Mike Mieron

8:30 AM
Senate Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Julianne E. Ortman
Agenda:
Dynamic Scoring Presentations and Discussion
Presenters:
Dan Mitchell, Senior Fellow, CATO Institute
John Spry, University of St. Thomas
Paul Wilson, Research Director, MN Department of Revenue
February 2011 Forecast Presentation
Presenters:
Commissioner Jim Showalter
State Economist Tom Stinson

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda:
HF717 (Abeler) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system credit transfer required.
MnSCU Report to the Legislature: 'Improving Transfer of Credit'
Mayo Medical School Overview/Presentation
HF378 (Scott) Graduate education study required in for-profit sector

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: HF355 (Kiffmeyer) Home school mandates reduced, and superintendents relieved of reporting requirements.
Early Learning Task Force Report

3:00 PM
House in Session

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, March 8
12:30 PM
House Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bob Gunther
Agenda: Presentation of governor's Department of Labor and Industry budget proposal

1:00 PM
Senate Agriculture and Rural Economies
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Doug Magnus
Agenda:
"Agriculture's Contributions to Improving Water Quality"
Presentations from the MN Agriculture Water Resources Coalition, MN Department of Agriculture & University of Minnesota

Alternative pathways to teaching proposal accepted; U.S. Congress passes continuing budget resolution

Yesterday at the Capitol

A six-member conference committee adopted a report yesterday on alternative pathways to becoming a licensed teacher after they reached consensus with Gov. Mark Dayton earlier. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the bill this week and send it to the governor for signature.

Under the measure, alternative licensure candidates who meet all criteria would be granted a two-year limited license, which the Board of Teaching may renew for an additional year. Candidates must have a 3.0 or higher grade-point average or a waiver from the Board; pass basic reading, writing and math skills exams; and obtain qualifying scores on board-approved content and pedagogy exams.

Opponents of the bill have said allowing teachers without traditional educational training, including 10 weeks of student teaching supervised by a licensed teacher, will compromise the quality of teaching.

In Washington, the U.S. House passed a continuing resolution yesterday by a vote of 335-91, that avoids a government shutdown for two weeks. With House Republicans approving a bill earlier that would cut $61 billion from programs and agency budgets over the remaining months of the 2011 fiscal year, the House needed to pass a continuing resolution with March 4 drawing near, that buys them more time given the strong opposition to the bill by the Democratic Senate and the President. Over the next two weeks, leaders in both the House and Senate, as well as the White House, will attempt to negotiate a bill that keeps government running through September 30.

Today at the Capitol

10:30 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda: Budget Overview from MN Housing Finance Agency/Commissioner Mary Tingerthal
Budget Overview from DEED/Commissioner Mark Phillips

3:00 PM
Senate Higher Education
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach
Agenda: Presentations from student and faculty groups from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda:
S.F. 325-Hann: MNovate commission to provide leadership for the creation of new and innovative models of public schools and schooling establishment.
S.F. 289-Limmer: School finance capital expenditure health and safety revenue program modifications; health and safety policy.
S.F. 95-Bonoff: Independent school district #284, Wayzata; alternative facilities revenue program eligibility.
S.F. 315-Olson, G.: School lease levy authority modification.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, March 3

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: HF464 (Norton) Teacher collective bargaining agreement deadline and process changed.
HF339 (Kelly) Teacher employment contracts negotiation process identified.
Presentation: Career and Technical Education in the 21st Century (continued) Presenter: Mike Mieron

8:30 AM
Senate Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Julianne E. Ortman
Agenda:
Dynamic Scoring Presentations and Discussion
Presenters:
Dan Mitchell, Senior Fellow, CATO Institute
John Spry, University of St. Thomas
Paul Wilson, Research Director, MN Department of Revenue
February 2011 Forecast Presentation
Presenters:
Commissioner Jim Showalter
State Economist Tom Stinson

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda:
HF717 (Abeler) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system credit transfer required.
MnSCU Report to the Legislature: 'Improving Transfer of Credit'
Mayo Medical School Overview/Presentation
HF378 (Scott) Graduate education study required in for-profit sector

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: HF355 (Kiffmeyer) Home school mandates reduced, and superintendents relieved of reporting requirements.
Early Learning Task Force Report

3:00 PM
House in Session

State budget forecast $5 billion; Trustees were confirmed

Yesterday at the Capitol

The much anticipated revised state budget forecast came out yesterday morning, and Minnesota Management and Budget is projecting more than a billion dollar improvement from a $6.2 billion budget deficit to a $5.028 billion deficit for the fiscal year 2012-2013 biennium.

Gov. Mark Dayton announced he would eliminate his proposal for a temporary surtax on the state’s highest earners from his budget proposal. He would also reinstate $200 million in proposed cuts to human services, transit and economic development programs.

Lawmakers and Gov. Dayton are still faced with a very large budget problem, and disagree on how to resolve it. Republican legislative leaders want to balance the budget through spending cuts, and Dayton is proposing raising approximately $4 billion in revenue through an income tax on the wealthy.

Also yesterday, five of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustee members were confirmed by the Senate Higher Education committee. The confirmation is to be taken up next by the full Senate. The trustees include: Duane Benson, Phil Krinkie, Alfredo Oliveira, Thomas Renier and Michael Vekich.

A small conference committee was appointed to work out the differences on the alternative teacher licensure legislation that lawmakers and the governor have reached consensus. In a letter Gov. Dayton wrote to the K-12 Education chairs, Dayton says he is disappointed that the bill does not contain a more direct link to higher education as the oversight for new programs offering alternative teacher preparation programs. The bill is said to be on schedule to be passed and signed later in the week.

Today at the Capitol

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement Hearing Room State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: Presentation: Career and Technical Education in the 21st Century Presenters:
Dr. Jim Stone, University of Louisville, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Mike Mieron

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda:
Presentation of February 2011 Economic Forecast:
Commissioner Jim Schowalter
Tom Stinson, State Economist
Margaret Kelly, Budget Director

10:00 AM
Conference committee on alternative teacher licensure bill
Room: Capitol TBA
Chairs: Rep. Garofalo and Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda: SF 40 - alternative teacher preparation program

10:30 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda: S.F. 1-Michel: Job creation; business tax reductions; department of natural resources (DNR) permitting efficiency; environmental review requirements modifications.

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: University of Minnesota Academic Health Center presentation
Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics
Presentation (University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic)

12:30 PM
House Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bob Gunther
Agenda: DEED budget overview
HF102 (Mahoney) Minnesota science and technology program established

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda: Jerry Schoenfeld: Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators
Dr. Jim Stone: University of Louisville, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education

5:00 PM
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Liz Holberg
Agenda: HF110 (Kahn) Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement membership increased.
Overview of February forecast by MMB Commissioner Jim Schowalter and State Economist Tom Stinson

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, March 2

10:30 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda: Budget Overview from MN Housing Finance Agency/Commissioner Mary Tingerthal
Budget Overview from DEED/Commissioner Mark Phillips

3:00 PM
Senate Higher Education
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach
Agenda: Presentations from student and faculty groups from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda:
S.F. 325-Hann: MNovate commission to provide leadership for the creation of new and innovative models of public schools and schooling establishment.
S.F. 289-Limmer: School finance capital expenditure health and safety revenue program modifications; health and safety policy.
S.F. 95-Bonoff: Independent school district #284, Wayzata; alternative facilities revenue program eligibility.
S.F. 315-Olson, G.: School lease levy authority modification.

Thursday, March 3

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: HF638 (Myhra) School grading system created, school recognition program created, school report cards modified, rulemaking authorized, and report required.

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda:
HF717 (Abeler) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system credit transfer required.
MnSCU Report to the Legislature: 'Improving Transfer of Credit'
Mayo Medical School Overview/Presentation
HF378 (Scott) Graduate education study required in for-profit sector

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: HF355 (Kiffmeyer) Home school mandates reduced, and superintendents relieved of reporting requirements.
Early Learning Task Force Report

3:00 PM
House in Session