Education News: April 21-27, 2012
As the Minnesota Legislature works toward adjournment, conference committees are closing and sending reports to the Governor. This week HF 2949, the education omnibus conference committee report, passed off the Senate and House floor. The bill passed the House on a vote of 119-9 and the Senate passed the bill 64-0. The Governor has until midnight tonight to act on the bill. The House and Senate also passed the school trust land conference committee report on Wednesday and it is unclear whether or not the Governor will sign the bill into law. HF 1870, the Last In First Out (LIFO) conference committee, passed their report to the floor earlier and it passed the House floor on Thursday night on a vote of 70-61 with one democrat voting in favor and two republicans voting against. The Senate is expected to act on the HF 1870 conference report today. The Governor has indicated he plans to veto HF 1870. For more information on the status of education bills at the legislature, AMSD has put together an end of session spreadsheet with status information. You can access it here:
http://www.amsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2012-End-of-Session-Bill-Summary-Matrix.pdf
MINNESOTA NEWs
- No Answers on Integration Revenue Program, AMSD
- After redistricting, which legislative districts are vulnerable in 2012 election? Minnpost
- Dayton says he won’t negotiate on LIFO, Minnpost
- House votes to end seniority-based layoffs for Minn. Teachers, Star Tribune
- Minnesota House OKs teacher layoff rules that drop seniority protection, Pioneer Press
- Little learners ride stadium bandwagon, Star Tribune
- Omnibus ed bill: many tweaks, little GOP ideology, Minnpost
- Rochester students open up about school bullying, Minnesota Public Radio
- Teacher scorecards might sound easy, but good ones carry a price, Pioneer Press
- Minnesota Legislature OKs new oversight for state school trust lands, Pioneer Press
NATIONAL NEWS
- Suspecting verbal abuse, parents are sending disabled children to school with audio recorders, Star Tribune
- Accountability Moving Beyond Math, Reading Tests, Education Week
- Reading on Science, Social Studies Teachers’ Agendas, Education Week
PEOPLE
- What Does It Mean to Be a Good School Leader? Education Week
- Live and in Person, History Comes to Chicago’s Classrooms, New York Times
RESEARCH AND REPORTS
- Study Supports Essay-Grading Technology, Education Week