Jay Duggan February 17, 2021
EDUCATION MN AND THE DFL HAVE WRECKED MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS AND SQUANDERED A ZILLION DOLLARS, SO THE MNGOP WANTS TO FIX IT BY GIVING THEM AN AVENUE TO SUE FOR MORE MONEY
Education Minnesota has begged for more and more money for the 100% DFL run Mpls (and St Paul schools), and today the Mpls School District SPENDS $26,000 PER STUDENT!
Despite the dump truck loads of money sent into the inner city schools the achievement rate is abysmal. Actually it is worse than abysmal, but I have no words to describe the utter failure better. Students meeting proficiency levels in math was 43%, reading 50%, and science 37%, with over 30% of minority kids NOT graduating high school.
Republicans have tried for years to get accountability, reforms, uniform testing standards, and audits of the spending and instruction infrastructure and processes, and have gotten nowhere. Education Minnesota (the teachers union and main special interest of the Mpls DFL) resists these attempts to meddle in their affairs, and as standard practice ask for more dump truck loads of money as the only solution to problems. Despite small gains with the dump truck loads of money they just cant seem to close what is nearly the nation’s worst achievement gap for results in primary education between minorities and white kids (69% grad rate vs 88% grad rate, with proficiency gaps similar)
Desperate for accountability and results for the money spent, and finding zero cooperation with the DFL you would think the MN Republicans would try a session or two of holding the education money, or at least the budget increases demanded by Education MN, hostage in budget negotiations until they got audits, or accountability, or uniform measurements of achievement? You would be wrong. Instead of actually doing the hard work as legislators and maybe even risking some election traction to have a drawn out political battle with the DFL Governor and DFL legislature members for the good of the kids REPUBLICANS HAVE DECIDED TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION.
ROCKS AND COWS HAD A FEW QUESTIONS, AND THEY WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS……
Why would the Republicans go this route? And author HF874 making primary education a state “fundamental right” with a required level of “quality”? Everybody knows that if you can’t get legislation fixes for the education system’s accountability because of intentional political obstruction by the DFL party you make a constitutional change so that THE DFL ATTORNEY GENERAL, EDUCATION MINNESOTA LAWYERS, THE DFL GOVERNOR’S EDUCATION COMMMISSIONER, AND DFL JUDGES CAN COLLUDE TOGETHER TO “FIX” IT FOR YOU IN COURT if you don’t pass their budget requests? Making education a “fundamental right” with set “quality” isn’t word pressure on the legislature to cooperate on education more. It is terminology explicitly described in court precedent that obligates the state to whatever the court could deem to meet “quality” for each “equity” scenario whenever litigants are dissatisfied with legislative efforts. Courts have stated in state and federal lawsuits when education isnt listed as a “right” that they stick often to the interpretation of it as a guaranteed “opportunity” and leave the funding mechanism/levels to the will of the democratic decisions of the legislature and the delivery and performance to the local schools. Also courts have decided that “quality” is defined as funding. Low funding, low quality, high funding high quality. If you know Education MN and the DFL then you know the “quality” WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. Shouldn’t we be worried the DFL will jump on this legal opening the size of the Grand Canyon?
THE AUTHOR OF THIS DISASTER REPLIED TO OUR CONCERNS THAT HE’S BEGGING TO GET US SUED
The Chief Author of HF874, MNGOP Rep. Ron Kresha, says he wants equality and accountability for the money we are already spending and he thinks there is no chance the DFL sues. This amendment change will be the magic that makes everybody work in harmony to solve all the education problems. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and I think in this case Rep. Kresha owns a whole paving company. Rep. Ron Kresha’s letter telling Rocks and Cows everything will turn up roses is HERE⁵.
Rep. Kresha told Rocks and Cows in his letter replying to our concerns of judicial interference that “he has talked with over 400 individuals on this matter” and responded to our concerns in numbered rebuttals as follows:
- “No evidence amendments increase lawsuits.”
- “The proportion of cases citing constitutional clauses is very small and remained constant..”
- “Other states have updated their constitutional clause and no increase in suits has occurred”
R&C Commentary- Its not just “amendments”. States get sued over interpreted “guarantees” no matter where they are in statute or constitution, implied or explicit. The progressives have been trying to sue based on implied guarantees for decades to force exponential increases beyond existing legislative funding and tax rates . So why would you give them an EXPLICIT “RIGHT” basis to sue? Of course the cases are small BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY 50 STATES AND EVEN FEWER DUMB ENOUGH TO COMMIT THEMSELVES TO UNLIMITED FUNDING FOR A PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE ON AN EDUCATION “RIGHT”. Maybe Ron also missed the lawsuits in New Mexico, Delaware, Colorado, New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and California. Every one of these lawsuits only asked for the same thing. Boatloads more money, increased taxes, and the court to mandate and supervise how it was all spent
4. “The language is public school centric” and “only addresses that each child in MN has a right to an education and that right should be quality…..and converse is kids have no right and some kids can be denied…that is not my position.”
R&C Commentary – Ron says it’s all ok, we are only consolidating all education responsibility at the state level, and he implies anybody opposing that must not want kids to have ANY education. OR RON COULD JUST PASS LAWS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND STANDARDS FOR THE CRAPPY MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF RISKING LOCAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS AND LEGISLATIVE CONTROL OF TAXES FOR THE ENTIRE STATE? Can Ron name one place in Minnesota denying kids an education? The DFL-like attacks for not supporting yet another big govt mandate are unbecoming a person who claims to be a conservative.
5. “Ignoring the achievement gap is costly” and “..if we don’t fix it, the costs will climb with no results.”
R&C Commentary – Well no kidding. HOW ABOUT YOU DO YOUR JOB AND GET TOUGH IN BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY JUST ONCE INSTEAD OF HANDING OVER EVER GROWING TRUCKLOADS OF MONEY TO MPLS WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY EVERY SESSION AND THEN BRAGGING ABOUT IT EVERY ELECTION? Instead Ron would rather rewrite the state constitution to make it possible for the DFL to hire DFL lawyers to sit with DFL judges to “fix” the problem and hike our taxes and remove local control BECAUSE HE DIDNT DO HIS JOB WHEN HE RAN THE ED COMMITTEE.
6. “Supporting educational choice for parents is critical. And a functioning public schools system is a good choice for many kids. Competition brings quality and price reductions.”
R&C Commentary – This one is the doozy. PROVIDING A LEGAL BASIS FOR THE PROGRESSIVES TO SUE THE SH#T OUT OF THE STATE AND FORCE TAX INCREASES AND COURT SUPERVISION OF EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICTS FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION POLICY IS PROVIDING MORE “CHOICE” AND “COMPETITION”. Only a big government political lifer could make the argument that turning education into a state mandated guarantee with unlimited funding curbs is enhancing competition and choice. Somebody rush Ron the definition of “conservative”. Pretty sure big govt education mandates is not in the description.
ARE THE MNGOP HOUSE SPONSORS BLIND? SLEEP THRU 2020?
Ron and the other MNGOP House co-sponsors watched Secretary of State Simon collude with DFL non-profits in court to change the election laws AFTER the legislature refused changes. But they don’t think Education MN will partner with AG Ellison to sue for more education funding and tax hikes to fulfill the “quality” guarantees of a new “fundamental right” AFTER the legislature refuses to fully fund DFL education budget requests? They either slept thru 2020, don’t know the DFL, or they are issued free crack in the House cloakroom.
WHAT CAN I DO?
If you DO NOT want Rep. Ron Kresha and the other MNGOP sponsors to pass the trainwreck called HF874? And instead do their jobs to pass bills making the accountability, audit, and standards changes necessary to fix the giant suck of waste in Minneapolis Schools? Maybe even hold out on education budget increases until they get some accountability?
CALL AND EMAIL THE MNGOP AUTHORS AND CO-SPONSORS AND TELL THEM THIS SIMPLE MESSAGE – “DUMP HF874 “
Ron Kresha [email protected] 651-296-4247
Sondra Erickson [email protected] 651-296-6746
Tama Theis [email protected] 651-296-6316
Barb Haley [email protected] 651–296-8635
Joe Schomacker [email protected] 651-296-5505
Jon Koznick [email protected] 651-296-6926
Peggy Bennett [email protected] 651-296-8216
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Questions,
Are public school districts subject to an audit yearly? Can an audit be requested by citizens?
In response to the author’s question to name one place in MN where education is not a priority, the answer is easy, No where in fing MN has education been a priority for one year now!!!
We do not need more government restrictions on how, when or what our kids are learning.
Background info;
Raised my daughter in south Mpls. Hiathwatha Elementary, Sanford Juior high, Roosevelt high school in the early in the 90’s. Graduation 98.
R&C is right money has poured into Mpls for schools well over 30 years. Roosevelt high school was the first to educate the Somali community, lots of Federal money!
We lived in the community that is now gone!
As far as racism is concerned, wasn’t going on back than. of course there are always some who ruin for others, but as a whole were bbn great schools.
Back then we had “Site based management team” Group was made up of teachers, staff and parents. Met twice a month. discussed financial, education, culture challenges and collectively worked towards solutions.
Does any of this happening now?
Sorry I know that was long.
Wow you are so right, need to reach more people!!!! Thank you!