Looking Back 
Committees continued their overviews, updates and presentations of reports. Here is a compilation of the most recent:

• World's Best Workforce Legislative Report 
• Special Education Statewide Average Expenditure 
• Career & Technical Educator Licensing Task Force Report 
• MDE Student Discipline Working Group Report 
• Career and Technical Partnerships

Looking Forward
Tuesday morning in House Education Innovation Policy, Rep. Erickson will hear a bill to have civics testing added to the required curriculum.
Tuesday afternoon the Senate E-12 Policy Committee will hear a presentation of the Office of the Legislative Auditor's Evaluation of Minnesota Teacher Licensure report.
There will also be a presentation on the Report on the Legislative Study on Teacher Licensing from the working group.

The Teacher Supply and Demand Report has been released.  Some key findings include:

• All economic development regions are experiencing increased American Indian/Alaskan Native,Hispanic, and Black student enrollment, while 11 of 13 of the economic development regions are experiencing growth in Asian/Pacific Islander student enrollment. The number of white students has decreased in all but two of the economic development regions.
• District and charter school survey results indicate  there is access to effective teachers that reflect the student population for white students, but not for Black, Asian/Pacific Highlander, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or Hispanic student populations.
• The number of teachers reported as leaving their positions has increased 46 percent since 2008-09. The largest number of teachers leave because of retirement, personal reasons, or because they have taken a position in another district.
• The average percentage of teachers leaving the profession after 1 year is 15.1 percent and over a quarter of the teachers leave the profession after 3 years (25.9%).
• Survey data indicates hiring officials at district and charter schools believe the two largest barriers of those listed are a competitive job market and teacher salary. 
• Survey responses from district and charter school hiring officials perceived difficult to fill positions correspond closely to the federal shortage list.

MSBA will be introducing a teacher shortage bill  addressing many of these findings.

Federal Effort

	Sen. Franken talking with MSBA members before DeVos vote.

MSBA board of directors and other school board members spent time on Capitol Hill last week meeting with members of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation.
A highlight was a hallway meeting with Sen. Franken before he voted against the nomination for education secretary.
Other discussions addressed the

As session progresses, we will provide updates on significant bills that have been heard. When possible, we will provide links to the video so you can watch with us.

Newly Introduced Education Bills of Interest

H. F. 602, A bill providing that the education expense credit and deduction apply to certain expenditures for prekindergarten expenses .

  H. F. 625, A bill increasing funding for the community education revenue program; increasing the minimum population guarantee .

H. F. 627, A bill modifying the calculation of referendum equalization revenue, aid, and levy.

  H. F. 640, A bill establishing a Professional Educator Standards Board; providing for rulemaking.

  H. F. 646, A bill appropriating money for the Minnesota reading corps program.

  H. F. 652, A bill authorizing a school district to renew an annual food service management contract up to three additional times.

H. F. 668, A bill requiring a dyslexia and literacy specialist .

H. F. 670, A bill making the compensatory revenue pilot project permanent.

H. F. 675, A bill allowing schools to maintain a supply of asthma inhalers.

H. F. 689, A bill appropriating money for school districts to develop science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based courses.

H. F. 719, A bill appropriating money for the Minnesota math corps program.

H. F. 721, A bill for Teachers Retirement Association; administrative provisions; revising the definition of teacher; extending the retirement application deadline; creating a procedure for payment upon the death of member's former spouse; revising reporting requirements; modifying augmentation provisions for periods of uninterrupted service; clarifying part-time teacher provisions; making other changes of an administrative nature .

H. F. 722, A bill for T eachers Retirement Association financial solvency measures; increasing employer contribution rates; modifying the investment return actuarial assumption; reducing deferral amount and implementing forfeiture procedure for reemployed annuitants; extending the amortization target date; reducing postretirement adjustment increase rates; eliminating postretirement adjustment trigger procedures; authorizing additional funding for school districts to pay for higher teacher retirement employer contribution costs; modifying interest rates charged on certain payments .

H. F. 731, A bill adding civics testing to required curriculum.

H. F. 734, A bill enhancing education partnerships; promoting youth development; establishing an education partnerships coalition fund.

  S.F. No. 442: A bill appropriating money for the Minnesota math corps program.

S.F. No. 443: A bill  appropriating money for the Minnesota reading corps program.

  S.F. No. 453: A bill requiring a dyslexia and literacy specialist .

  S.F. No. 468: A bill requiring a personal learning plan for third grade students who do not read at grade level; requiring that a student who does not meet high school standards be informed that admission to a public school is free until age 21.

  S.F. No. 489: A bill making the compensatory revenue pilot project permanent .

Sincerely,

Your Government Relations Team
Grace Keliher
Denise Dittrich
Kimberley Lewis