Welcome to the Osseo Parents Legislative Action Network
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| Posted by LauraLovdahl on Sun 10 of May, 2009 19:57 MDT |
District 279 Parent Legislative Network Weekly Update – 5-10-09
At the Capital:
The self-imposed deadline for omnibus bills to pass through their respective conference committees came and went on Thursday evening, without any agreed upon targets for education. Negotiations continue through the weekend. Agreements on how to raise revenue were not reached between the three parties, and that impacts other major legislation. As events unfold, we’ll continue to provide summary information to our membership. You are also invited to sign up for more detailed updates through Parents United or Schools for Equity in Education.
Another fundraiser for public schools . . . REALLY?!!!!
A new member of our PLN recently came up with the idea that we should hold a “bake sale fundraiser” at the Capitol bringing the fundraising realities of public school parents to the doorstep of our legislators as they make their decisions this legislative session. So . . . We are hosting this “bake sale” this Tuesday! Please join us if you are able; we’d love to see you there! Other Parent Legislative Action groups have been invited to join us as well. Here are the details:
Date: May 12, 2009
Time: Noon - 3pm
Location: State Capitol Rotunda
In reality, we can not sell any baked goods, but we will be attempting to create the authentic look and feel of a school fundraiser with many individually wrapped baked goods individually priced. Our main Bake Sale Table will essentially be our visual prop. We plan to package home-made cookies for legislators, tied with a message encouraging their support of the New Minnesota Miracle, and asking them to maintain or slightly boost the current level of school funding. These individual bags will be delivered to the legislators in their offices. We could use lots of folks to help us with this effort!
We are not trying to come across as a well organized political public rally. We are simply a group of frustrated parents attempting to demonstrate to legislators what is happening in our schools. And we are asking, "Do we really want to continue to increase our reliance on fundraisers to pay for some of the basics of our kids' education?” It is not equitable, it is not efficient and as parents we would rather spend time helping our kids with their homework not running bake sales to get appropriate equipment into classrooms or to hire more teachers or assistants.
If you would like more information, or you have some time to help us with the prep work on Monday, please contact Mary Ellen DeBois? at mdebois@comcast.net or Laura Lovdahl at kelly.lovdahl@embarqmail.com; or Shelly Korby at tskorby@comcast.net.
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| Posted by LauraLovdahl on Sun 10 of May, 2009 19:53 MDT |
District279PLN Update April 30, 2009
At The Capital:
The House and Senate have passed their education omnibus bills and the work of the conference committee began Wed. evening. The conference committee members are listed below. These would be high priority people to contact in the coming days.
House
Representative Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville): rep.mindy.greiling@house.mn Representative Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul): rep.carlos.mariani@house.mn
Representative Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood): rep.nora.slawik@house.mn Representative John Ward (DFL-Brainerd): rep.john.ward@house.mn Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington): rep.pat.garofalo@house.mnRep. Kathy Brynaert (DFL – Mankato) rep.kathy.brynaert@house.mn
Senate
Senator LeRoy? Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls): www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?mem_id=1063&ls
Senator Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood): sen.chuck.wiger@senate.mn
Senator Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury): sen.kathy.saltzman@senate.mn
Senator Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield): sen.kevin.dahle@senate.mn
Senator Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista): sen.gen.olson@senate.mn
Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL – Minnetonka) sen.terribonoff@senate.mn
Currently the Senate Bill contains a 3% cut to schools but no shifts in payment schedules (the Senate believes this deals with the deficit now rather than pushing it off to the future). The House Bill “holds education harmless” but utilizes a $1.8 billion dollar payment schedule shift.
If the Senate proposal becomes law, District 279 – Osseo Area Schools would need to cut 6 million dollars next year in addition to the 1.4 million already approved to be cut from the budget for a total 7.4 million dollar cut next year. This is on top of the massive (16 million) in budget cuts we made last year. We would be looking at laying off 70+ teachers. How big are we willing to let class sizes grow to???? We need to contact our Senators and all members of the Education Conference Committee and tell them that our students will suffer irreversible harm from further cuts to education.
Possibly the most important issue to us is the New Minnesota Miracle which is included in the House bill. This bill has two important parts. First and most importantly, it reforms how education is financed in MN to make it more equitable and sustainable. As a PLN we strongly believe this reform needs to start now even in this economic environment. The second part of the bill is funding. Research has been done to “cost out” the price of educating students in MN to meet state and federal requirements. While it is true that the MN Miracle’s goal is to eventually fund education based on research, the bill is scaleable, meaning that whatever our legislators decide to invest in education is plugged into the formula and that amount is distributed more equitably than under our current system. The discussion on how much to invest in education and how to fund that investment is a separate matter that will have to take place in the future.
The following quote from a Wayzata School Board Member summarizes it well:
“School board members, administrators, teachers and parents all understand the enormous budget challenge facing our state,” said Pat Gleason, chairperson for the AMSD board of directors and vice-chair of the Wayzata school board. “They hold no illusion that our schools and our students will escape pain as we work through this devastating recession. What’s disheartening is that we have not yet recovered from cuts made six years ago. It is absolutely imperative that we make a break from the status quo and begin to phase in the New Minnesota Miracle funding reform so we have a light at the end of this very dark tunnel.”
Visits to the Capitol
On Tuesday, April 28th, a group of PLN members (including two parents new to this process) visited the Capitol and were able to meet with Sen. Leo Foley, Sen. Linda Scheid, Sen. Warren Limmer, and Rep. Joyce Peppin. We enjoyed visiting with all of them. We were able to share information and listen to their ideas. We would like to continue to be a presence at the capitol during the last few weeks of the session. Please call Mary Ellen DeBois? at 763-416-4712 or email us if you would like to join us in one of our “Parents Share” trips.
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| Posted by LauraLovdahl on Tue 05 of May, 2009 11:56 MDT |
District 279 Parent Legislative Network Update April 17, 2009
Thank you!
Recently, more than 220 families in our district provided a “bouquet of flowers” to our local legislators as part of the state-wide initiative supporting Early Childhood Education referred to as Bloom and Grow! These “flowers” were delivered to our legislators by representatives of our D279 PLN and the Early Childhood Advisory Committee. We’ve heard from our legislators that this effort made an impact on them. Thank you for taking time to make your voices heard!
At the Capital
We continue to monitor progress on several legislative initiatives, and will be calling on PLN members in the coming weeks to get involved through Calls to Action. This effort will be critical as legislators are saying that they are not hearing from their constituents on education issues! To prepare for this activity, we ask each of you to take a moment to add the email addresses of your legislators to your address book, and then send a brief email to them, introducing yourself as a parent from District 279 and letting them know of your interest and support of education for our children. We have provided for you the names and contact information for the Senators and Representatives for District 279 in the attached document.
To verify who represents you, please click on Minnesota District Finder and enter your home address. Whenever you make a legislative contact on education issues, we encourage you to copy the Governor’s Office by adding tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us to the “cc” line. In order for us to monitor our effectiveness, we would like you to let us know when you have made a contact on behalf of education issues. Simply send an email to district279pln@gmail.com with a comment in the message line indicating “Contact made with (legislator’s name)”.
Please let us know if you have any questions – we are happy to follow up with you!
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Update 3-24-09
| Posted by LauraLovdahl on Tue 24 of March, 2009 13:34 MDT |
District 279 PLN Update: March 24, 2009
On March 16, eleven parents from District 279 attended the 7th Annual Parent Leadership Summit sponsored by Parents United for Public Schools. Informative presentations were made by:
Katherine Blauvelt with Minnesota Budget Project - “The Lost Decade”
Jermaine Toney, Organizing Apprenticeship Project – “Kitchen Table Budget Principles”
Angie Eilers, Growth and Justice – “Smart Investments in Minnesota Students”
Mary Cecconi, Parents United for Public Schools – “Who’s Minding the Store?”
Links to the PowerPoint? presentations for each of these speakers can be found at Parents United. During the afternoon, some parents had an opportunity to meet briefly with Senator Warren Limmer and Representative Joyce Peppin.
You are Invited . . .
We would like to invite you to participate in what we are calling “Parents Share” sessions with local legislators at the Capital. Hearing stories from constituents is a vital part of this process and our legislators have often commented that they don’t hear from us about education issues. We’d like that to change. If you are interested, please contact Mary Ellen DeBois? at mdebois@comcast.net. We’ll take care of the scheduling, just come along for the ride! We’d like to have regular visits with legislators between now and the end of the session.
At the Capital:
Legislation that we are monitoring at the Capital includes:
School Funding
HF 2 Greiling (also known as New Minnesota Miracle) School finance system modified, and new education funding framework created
SF 0348 – Bonoff School finance system modification, education funding framework creation and phase-in
PLN position: We support efforts to restructure the existing funding system to ensure equitable, sustainable and adequate funding for MN Education.
Shared Services
HF 1665 – Swails Education; Best practices center for shared services established
SF 10 – Bonoff Cooperative purchasing and shared services program for school districts and charter schools requirement
Update: SF 10 was defeated on a 31-33 vote on March 16; the separate HF is moving forward and provides for similar requirements, but would build upon existing opportunities and expand to other districts without mandating participation.
PLN position: We support the efforts to maximize the buying power of school districts as currently occurring, and not restricting purchases to state approved vendors. We support the spirit of HF 1665.
Education Oversight
Two different bills proposing education policy oversight by a neutral party have been proposed. The goal is to provide an avenue for analysis, research and navigation to provide the legislature with research, analysis, and policy guidance in E-12 Education.
SF 1109 – Rummel / HF 1186 – Mariani - Center established for legislative educational analysis research and navigation in the next generation.
SF 447 – Rest / HF 466 – Carlson State Board of Education established
PLN position: We support the effort to establish the Center for legislative analysis, research and navigation as described in the Rummel/Mariani legislation.
Constitutional Amendment proposal
HF 1101 – Brown / SF 1003 – Stumpf High quality in public education provided through equitable and adequate funding, and constitutional amendment proposed.
A note from the Co-chairs:
Over the next few weeks, there will be more opportunities to connect with local legislators as bills advance at the Legislature. Your assistance in making phone calls, sending emails, or visiting with legislators will be very important. Please let us know if you have any questions about how you can get involved. district279@gmail.com.
We are working to finalize our Legislative Platform and will be distributing that document to our membership soon!
For more detailed insight into various education bills, please visit Parents United for Public Schools. Sign up to receive their weekly legislative updates (during the Session).
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Update
| Posted by LauraLovdahl on Fri 13 of Feb., 2009 17:38 MST |
Weekly Update: District 279 Parent Legislative Network (PLN)
February 13, 2009
Welcome to the more than 300 parents and concerned citizens who make up the District 279 PLN. As a leadership team, we plan to provide you with periodic updates on activities at the State Capital during this legislative session; as well as information that you can use to understand the dynamics of education funding and policies that impact us directly here in D279.
Closer to home. . .
District 279 is currently reviewing budget proposals for the 2009-2010 school year, and has proposed two three different options – to coincide with what is anticipated to happen with the state budget. Community input meetings have been scheduled and we urge you to take the time to get involved. Several PLN members are planning to attend on the 19th. The first meeting was held on February 12. A future session is planned for:
Thursday, February 19, 7-8:30 p.m.
Community Conversation about the 2009-2010 Budget
Purpose: Inform and consult with attendees
Osseo Senior High Cafeteria
317 Second Avenue NW, Osseo
Community Conversation about the 2009-2010 Budget
Purpose: Inform and consult with attendees
Osseo Senior High Cafeteria
317 Second Avenue NW, Osseo
Additional information and opportunity to provide comments online are available at D279 Budget Ideas. The district is faced with having to make critical decisions before firm data will be known about the state’s budget, which makes this a very challenging discussion.
On Thursday, February 26, 2009, the Legislature is hosting a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Governor’s budget proposal. There will be limited opportunity to provide public comment. If you are interested in speaking at this event, you must register online at Town Hall meeting - Plymouth.
Town Hall Meeting - Plymouth
Thursday, February 26th - 7:00 p.m.
Plymouth City Hall
3400 Plymouth Blvd
Thursday, February 26th - 7:00 p.m.
Plymouth City Hall
3400 Plymouth Blvd
Mark your calendar now!
On Monday, March 16, Parents United for Public Schools will be hosting their annual Parent Leadership Summit. Information has just become available on this 7th Annual Summit. Click here for more information and to register! Parent Leadership Summit
Want to know more?
A valuable resource for you is the Parents United for Public Schools website. This organization also provides a weekly update during the legislative session; organizes opportunities for citizens to become effective advocates on behalf of children, and initiates “Calls to Action” when there are critical votes at the Legislature.
What’s happening now at the Capitol?
The Governor’s Budget is getting close scrutiny and many groups are examining the potential impact of the proposed increases for education and the cuts to other areas of the budget. Three areas to watch for include:
1) Expansion of the Q-Comp? program to school districts not currently enrolled in the program;
2) Potential additional dollars to districts demonstrating progress for student achievement; and 3) Shared Services directive – a requirement that school districts share services of specific vendors for purchase of needed items.
The PLN Leadership Team will continue to monitor these and other issues as they pertain to our local district, and will inform you of any “calls to action” where a contact to local legislators would be most helpful. Stay tuned!
Specific legislative for reforming the education funding process in Minnesota was introduced on January 15 and is referred to as “The New Minnesota Miracle”. The authors of this legislation (originally introduced during the last session) held numerous community comment meetings last spring and throughout the summer, and made revisions based upon the testimony received. This bill is known as HF 2 and more information about this multi-stage process can be found at New Minnesota Miracle 2009 - HF 2. A common misconception is that this bill only seeks to add new funding dollars to the education system; however, the more major component of this bill is to address, from a policy perspective, how we establish the funding formula for education in this state. Those changes could be implemented without new dollars now.
Overshadowing all of this discussion at the State Capital is the impact of any possible stimulus package dollars that may be directed to Minnesota from the federal government. This will have implications for how legislators proceed in budget development here so it is definitely worth paying attention to at the national level.
“Childhood has no rewind: Our children cannot go back to grade school and
get another education when times are better and we all have more to give.
When the playground is empty and the children are gone, either we will have sacrificed for them, or we won’t."
~ from a Parents United poster
get another education when times are better and we all have more to give.
When the playground is empty and the children are gone, either we will have sacrificed for them, or we won’t."
~ from a Parents United poster
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We're up and running.
| Posted by admin on Thu 12 of Feb., 2009 19:45 MST |
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