The House Education Policy and Finance committees spent the bulk of their time in the past week reviewing the detail of the Governor’s education policy and budget plans.
While the new dollars are certainly welcome, they do come with new requirements for processes and procedures. In some cases, there are restrictions on licensure advancement, high school opportunities and the basic manageability of various programs.
During presentations on the policy bill (HF 950), the Minnesota Department of Education identified four policy proposals, including:
- Cultural responsibility and inclusivity
- American Indian Education
- Support for educators in reevaluating licensing requirements through PELSB
- Improving school environments by monitoring suspensions
The proposal aims to alter graduation requirements for science credit requirements, in the wake of the earth and science teacher push during the recent science standards review process. A coalition including MREA, agricultural and CTE groups oppose this change.