H-BC officials attend school finance rally at Capitol

By Lexi MooreHills-Beaver Creek Superintendent David Deragisch and several H-BC School Board members attended School Board Member Day at the Capitol in St. Paul on Monday.The group attended a Minnesota School Board Association meeting in the morning, spent the afternoon in the Capitol attempting to meet with District 22A Rep. Doug Magnus and attended the Alliance for Student Achievement Rally on the front steps of the Capitol.The purpose of the trip was to learn more about the governor’s proposed education bill released last month and to encourage the H-BC school district’s representatives to be a voice for education finance reform in rural areas.Thousands rally at the CapitolNearly 5,000 parents, students, teachers and school officials crowded the steps of the Capitol to let Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislators know public education funding must be made a priority during this legislative session.The crowd was unaffected by the cold weather, snowy lawn or strong winds. They chanted "Fund Our Schools," "Legislate to Educate" and "We are Watching" in between passionate speakers and school marching band performances."Our legislators made a promise to fully fund our schools, but the only thing they have delivered is inadequate funding, larger class sizes, teacher cuts and fewer student programs," said Ken Dragseth, chair of the Alliance for Student Achievement. "Our students do not come to school with ‘democrat’ or ‘republican’ stamped on their foreheads, they come as children."Dragseth is a former National Superintendent of the Year.Other speakers included PTA President Phill Enke, Minnesota Teacher of the Year Tom Keating, as well as a senior student and a grandmother.Tom Keating’s powerful voice complained about a lack of resources in his classroom."I hear the legislative body ask for accountability. If we as teachers need to be accountable, then stop taking the tools away from me that I need to make connections with students. I can’t teach unless I can make that connection."Hills-Beaver Creek School Board Member Ann Boeve said she was astounded by the turnout. She said, "I knew there would be a lot of people, but I never expected the buses to come."But they came. Buses lined the Capitol building and were parked four rows deep along other streets.The rally coincided with the release of Gov. Pawlenty’s Education Bill to the Minnesota legislative body. How the legislators handle this bill will determine how much funding public schools get for the next two years.H-BC board members briefed on legislationLloyd DeBoer, Matt Larson and Ann Boeve, all H-BC School Board members, attended the Minnesota School Board Association’s annual School Board Member Day at the Capitol. House and Senate Education Committee members addressed school leaders from all over Minnesota on K-12 legislative issues. Speakers included District 33B Rep. Barb Sykora, chair of the House K-12 Education Finance Committee, and District 44 Sen. Steve Kelly, chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee. Board members were also updated on legislative activities that could adversely affect their schools and their students.Gov. Pawlenty’s education proposal goes to committee this week. This could change some of the language in the bill depending on how representatives and senators react during the committees.Rep. Sykora and Sen. Kelly highlighted several changes that would be made if the bill, as it currently reads, were to pass:
Increasing the general education formula 2-percent in each of the next two years.
Changing the formula for education finance by reducing pupil weighting.
Giving local school districts more levying authority.
Adding Q Comp, which would fundamentally change how we pay teachers.
Get Ready, Get Credit, which would mandate that sophomores take an additional standardized test. The test would determine which subject areas the students should concentrate on during their final years in high school.
Creating a statewide insurance group for educators.
Relying on local property taxes to pay for excess special education costs.A visit with Rep. Magnus doesn’t offer board members much hopeH-BC board members and Superintendent Deragisch met with Rep. Magnus following the close of the House of Representatives session late Monday afternoon.They asked tough questions about education funding, but Magnus replied education already accounts for "40 percent of the money in Minnesota’s budget."He said everyone wants more money, but with healthcare costs rising by 25 percent a year, it would be difficult to find more money for education.Deragisch explained that board members can only ask local taxpayers to foot so much of the education bill. But Rep. Magnus directed attention to nursing home and healthcare costs."I can’t come home without money for the nursing homes and salary increases for their workers," Rep. Magnus responded when Boeve asked if education was a priority for him this legislative session.Although he was asked to attend, Magnus did not join the board members at the rally.H-BC board member Larson said, "He just didn’t even attempt to make us feel like he cared."