K-12 bill focuses on rural schools and student performance

Posted at 7:28 PM on July 19, 2011 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: 2011 Shutdown, MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

The K-12 budget bill hasn't been made public yet, but the author of the bill is starting to discuss specifics.

House K-12 Finance Chair Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, says the bill makes some needed changes that he argues will improve the state's schools. Garofalo said the state will start linking effectiveness to student achievement. He said teachers will start to be judged on student performance, rural schools will see more money and students will start receiving $5,000 scholarships from the state if they graduate early.

"I think moms and dads are really going to like that," Garofalo said of the scholarship. "They'll encourage little Johnny and little Jane to try a little bit harder and get that job done in school..

The bill also ends the integration funding formula, a fund that helps inner-city schools. The funding will end at the end of the next fiscal year. Garofalo said the program is flawed and he expects to work with administrators and teachers to come up with a different program.

Garofalo also said the bill directs more money to rural schools. He also said there will be more money for special education funding and an increase in the per pupil formula.

There are also scholarships for early childhood education, which Garofalo said will give lower income parents more options when it comes to daycare and other early childhood programs.

I'll post more when the bill is made public...

Comments (1)

Rep. Garofalo is full of it. I highly doubt he will work with anyone to come up with a different plan for integration. He wouldn't even listen to an independent bipartisan group who carefully reviewed and made recommendations to the House and Senate Education committees. What a joke. Leave it to a White guy from Farmington to devalue integration and access.

Posted by Kermit | July 19, 2011 8:30 PM

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