EdAction
Maple River Education Coalition PAC
105 Peavey Rd, St 116 
Chaska, MN  55318 
952-361-4931
http://www.EdAction.org
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April 4, 2000

Profile #1 or Profile #2 ?

The Profile of Learning Conference Committee began sometime after 3:00 PM Monday, April 3, 2000, with conferees looking tired and glassy eyed. House conferees came in with an offer to the Senate that mixed language from both the House "Ness" bill and the Senate "Pogemiller" bill leaving the North Star Standard intact as an option.

The Senate promptly rejected the offer and asked for a 15-minute recess to bring a counter offer. When they returned they had a totally new bill draft with a summary sheet, complete with graphics. Rep. Ness said that he was very impressed with what appeared to be technology like he had never seen before. The paper wasn't even still warm from the photocopier! Obviously, the Senate had no intention of starting the day on anything other than their counter offer that was already drafted and waiting in the wings.

The Senate offer was largely the Senate version of the Profile with a radical new invention of the North Star Standard. We prefer to call it Profile No. 2. House conferees asked a few questions, none of them in relationship to the North Star Standard, and asked for a recess. It was agreed that they would take about a two-hour recess and return at 6 PM.

It is not necessary to go into all the details of MREDCOPAC's lobbying efforts, but you can rest assured that we are always right there communicating on your behalf in support of the North Star Standard as a true option to the Profile and a new academic approach to education. 

Upon review of the Senate offer we found the following disturbing mutilation of the North Star Standard:

1. No district could adopt the North Star Standard without the majority vote of the teachers. This legislation would be in direct opposition to MN SS 123.33 that gives School Boards the authority to "superintend and manage the schools of the district; adopt rules for their organization, government, and instruction; keep registers; and prescribe textbooks and courses of study." This legislation would give non-elected individuals the same vote as the School Board members that are elected by the people to represent them. This could open up a debate about why the parents and the community members and the business owners are not allowed to vote. At that point we would be looking at a referendum. We are then back to our original elected School Board who should be, under statute, making this decision.
   
   
2. Districts must prove that the North Star Standards in their school meet or exceed the Profile of Learning. This means that our option to the Profile would have been taken away, and the North Star Standards would answer to the Profile. The Department of Children, Families, and Learning would decide if the local district implementation of the North Star Standard meets or exceeds the Profile of Learning. This means that the North Star Standard would BECOME the Profile of Learning.
   
   
3. All language regarding the "Purpose" of the North Star Standard is removed. This is very important language in that it clearly defines how it is different from the Profile of Learning. The deleted language declares the North Star Standard's intent to pursue true academic excellence for K-12 grade, encourage students BEYOND minimum competencies to their greatest potential, and recognize the autonomy of the parent, student, teacher, and school district from the state. With this very delineating language out of the way, the North Star Standard can be used as a second Profile of Learning.
   
   
4. The A-F grading system under the North Star Standard must be translated into the State's scoring system [rubric] when reported to the state or placed on transcripts. Once again, Sen. Pogemiller attempts to make the North Star Standard an overlay of the Profile.

There are questions that continually haunt all of us. Why is the State trying so hard to keep Minnesotans from exercising freedom in education? Why is the State so bent on making sure that they are in control and that everyone fully complies? Why would legislators such as Sen. Pogemiller, use the good name of the North Star Standard to mask another Profile and allow the public to think that they have an alternative? Is there no escape from this terrible system?

Perhaps there is a substantial clue in a very interesting comment that Senator Pogemiller made during the afternoon. He said, "It is not whether or not a student passes or fails math, it is how the student measures up to an INTERNATIONAL math standard." Sen. Pogemiller's reference to a single "international" math standard has huge implications. 

The conferees resumed their discussion around 7:00 PM. The House brought another offer that they went over line by line with many agreements between both sides. However, once they arrived at the issue of the North Star Standard, Sen. Pogemiller insisted that the only way he would support an unaltered North Star Standard was if the House would accept his unaltered Profile of Learning bill. The answer from Rep. Ness was, no. It appears that the House conferees are willing to use the North Star Standard language as the trading piece for Profile of Learning language that will appease its supporters.

The committee ended around 8:30 PM with Rep. Ness and Sen. Pogemiller agreeing to work on some language throughout Tuesday and then resuming the committee negotiations after House session in the evening on Tuesday. At the time of this update, there is still no posting of a committee meeting. However, a meeting could be announced after session, allowing them to meet yet tonight.

MREDCO has had discussions or left messages with all House conferees reiterating our support of the unaltered Senate Profile Bill and the unaltered House North Star Standards Bill. These two bills, if passed, would continue the Profile without the "delayed phase in" under the Ness bill and would allow the true North Star Standard as the option to the Profile. We could all go home happy.

However, if the Education Committee delivers a bill to the House and Senate that is a "fixed" Profile of Learning with a second Profile of Learning option that uses the North Star Standards name, you will certainly hear about it in time to act accordingly.

Renee T. Doyle,
President and Lobbyist
Maple River Education Coalition Political Action Committee

EdAction - 105 Peavey Rd, Ste 116, Chaska, MN  55318 
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