EdAction
105 Peavey Road, Suite 116
Chaska, MN 55318
952-361-4931
http://edaction.org

April 4, 2005

Important Capitol Developments
1. Nanny State Update
2. John Taylor Gatto to speak April 7th & 8th
3. American Heritage Education SF 1137 / HF867
4. Voucher bill SF 736 / HF 697
1. Nanny State Update
The EdAction Nanny State summary flyer is on-line. We strongly urge you to print off this two-sided flyer and give it to people you know personally who have any position or influence no matter where you are in the state: your pastor, church board members, school board members, school administrators, community leaders, legislators, and local and state political party leaders. People must be told how pending legislation would take authority over teaching a worldview to all of our kids. Home school and private school parents are not exempt from this nanny state system of curriculum and testing in social, emotional, and mental health requirements.

Here are some action items:
A. Listen to a radio interview on Wednesday, April 6th from live from 1:00 to 2:00 PM with Dr. Karen Effrem.  Dr. Effrem is a pediatrician and an authority on early learning and mental health screening. She will describe the system before the legislature, so that you and those you urge to tune in will have a better understanding of what this system has in store for us. The April 6th show is a must listen for you and for all those you know who need to be alerted to the pending legislation. Your action can make a difference!

KKMS Radio / 980 AM / Joyce Harley's "In Focus," Education Wednesday
1:00 to 2:00 PM with Dr. Karen Effrem
"The Political Agenda Being Forced on Our Families and Children."
If you live outside the KKMS listeners' range, listen on-line by clicking on Live Feed

B. Attend the Luncheon Briefing on Thursday, April 14th at noon. Sponsor a guest to come to the luncheon. Urge your legislators to come. Each legislator has received a written invitation.
The Minnesota Early Learning System:
How a Political Agenda is Being Forced on Our Families & Children
 
Featuring Dr. Karen Effrem, pediatrician
 
Thursday, April 14th      Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Kelly Inn at the Capitol
 
RSVP to EdAction: 952-361-4931     $14.00       Sponsor a guest!

C.  Contact legislators and the Governor. Contact your own House and Senate members. (Who represents you?)
Governor Pawlenty, 651-296-2089, tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
House Speaker Steve Sviggum, 651-296-2273, rep.steve.sviggum@house.mn
Rep. Barb Sykora,  651-296-4315, rep.barb.sykora@house.mn
Rep. Mindy Greiling, 651-296-5387, rep.mindy.greiling@house.mn
Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, 651-296-3826, sen.dean.johnson@senate.mn
Sen. John Hottinger, 651-296-6153, sen.john.hottinger@senate.mn
Sen. Bob Kierlin, 651-296-5649, sen.bob.kierlin@senate.mn
Sen. Steve Kelley, 651-297-8065, sen.steve.kelley@senate.mn
Sen. David Tomassoni, 651-296-8017, sen.david.tomassoni@senate.mn

Rep. Greiling (DFL - Roseville) is the point person in the House forimposing universal mental health testing on all 3-year olds. In the Senate,Tomassoni (DFL - Chisholm) is taking the lead. On Thursday, Wergin (R -Princeton) and Nienow (R - Cambridge) successfully amended a requirementfor written parental consent onto one of the two mental health testingbills (SF 906).

The Minnesota Early Learning Foundations bill (SF 907, Hottinger, DFL- St. Paul) / HF 1419, Sykora, R - Excelsior) replaces electedgovernment with unelected special interest groups who have a politicalagenda to establish, monitor, and market the system of governmentcurriculum and tests for all Minnesota children and to set up therating system for child care centers. It received a hearing on March 17thin the House.Finance Committee, which Rep. Sykora chairs.

Senator Betsy Wergin (R - Princeton) deserves our heartfelt thanks. Lastweek, as a minority member of the Senate Early Childhood Policy and BudgetDivision and as author of the Governor's bill on school readiness programs(SF 1853), Sen. Wergin amended the government-required curriculum("early learning standards") out of the bill. An attempt toreinstate the curriculum was unsuccessful. A big thank-you goes to Sen.Linda Scheid (DFL - Brooklyn Park) who joined Wergin in removing thecurriculum. The curriculum is also found in another bill authored by Sen.Kierlin (SF 592), however. The final Senate omnibus bill will likely stillrequire government curriculum for all children in Minnesota, in spite ofthis good amendment. Therefore, it is urgent that you contact Houseleadership to convince them to oppose government-required curriculum in theHouse/Senate conference committee. That is the only way that parents canprotect their children from this universal curriculum of social andemotional indoctrination that teaches political agendas.
2. John Taylor Gatto to speak April 7th & 8th

APRIL 7: 7-9 PM     Oak Grove MiddleSchool                       
                                    11300 W 106thST                 
                                    Bloomington,MN                  
                                    35W and 106thexit                                 
APRIL 8: 7-9 PM      Mounds View HighSchool                    
                                    1900 LakeValentine Road    
                                    Arden Hills,MN 55112 
 
COST:                       $5 PERPERSON AT DOOR
 
Reservationsto:            MICAH
                                    3270206th Ave NW
                          Anoka, MN 55303
For questions and topics, contact micah-ed@isd.net or763-753-9383

Topics:
April 7th: The difference between educating and merely schooling
April 8th: Artificial Adolescence - the Paradox of Extended Childhood
3. American Heritage Education SF 1137 / HF867
A hearing in the Senate Education Committee last week brought in DavidBarton from Texas Wall Builders totestify in support of  prohibiting censorship of America's heritage inthe schools. The bill states: Similar bills have passed in 12 states Barton presented some earlyfounding-era books and compared them to today's abridged versions that havebeen stripped of religious writings. He described how education should beabout the truth of history - the good, the bad, the ugly - as long as it istrue.

Sen. Bachmann, the Senate chief author, explained that proactive measuresare needed to ensure teachers are not fearful of bringing in foundingwritings and documents that contain religious references. Michael Chapman also testified from American HeritageResearch, providing photocopies of Minnesota textbook pages that hadbeen censored of religious texts and showing how the context had beenchanged as a result.

In spite of the material presented, the Minnesota School Board Association(MSBA) lobbyist testified against the bill, describing the chaos that couldresult from prohibiting schools from censoring America's heritage. Theschool board spokesman imagined recitations of Mein Kampf at basketballgames, or Nazi literature posted on walls and ceilings. It was anembarrassing moment for the MSBA. The MSBA is fortunate no Senator forcedhim to explain his wild-eyed connection between America's foundingdocuments and Mein Kampf. A member of the American Atheist Society alsotestified that prohibiting censorship of America's roots was anunreasonable bias toward religion.

Members of the House and Senate Education Committees should be encouraged to include SF 1137 / HF867 intheir omnibus education bills. Rep. Mark Olson (R - Big Lake) is the Houseauthor. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5th in the HouseEducation Committee. The committee meets at 8:15 a.m Tuesday, but willlikely not get to this until they reconvene at 6:30 p.m. People areencouraged to attend. See the Committee schedule for last minute information on time and place. For an up to date recorded message givingcommittee meeting times and agendas call, (651) 296-9283.
4. Voucher bill SF 736 / HF 697
A bill that would provide "access grants" to the families oflow income students in the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts towardtuition to private schools was sandbagged last week by opponents who wantnon-public schools to look just like the public schools.
Denise Dittrich (DFL - Champlin) introduced an amendment that passed by onevote to subject private schools who accept voucher students to be subjectto the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of No Child Left Behind, thusessentially bringing private schools under the authority of federal law. All DFL committee members voted to add strings on private schools, joinedby Rep. Wardlow (R -  Eagan). All other Republicans on the committeeopposed it.

We are grateful to Rep. Mark Buesgens, the House author, who was unwillingto compromise the independence of private schools by allowing strings onhis bill that will ultimately destroy genuine choice for parents. Buesgenspulled his bill from consideration for the time being, rather than allowingit to move forward. As always, EdWatch is troubled by government strings onnon-public schools, and the author was quick to recognize the hostile Dittrich amendment as entirely unacceptable. Pioneer Press columnist CraigWestover has thought-provoking commentary on the recent voucher battle on his blog. The House Education Committee will bring thisback up tonight
at a 6:00 p.m. hearing in the basement hearingroom of the State Office Building. For an up to date recorded message giving committee meeting timesand agendas call, (651) 296-9283.
=======================3D=======================
EdAction is entirely user-supported.The continuation of our work is dependent upon individual contributors.EdAction is a political action committee. Contributions are not taxdeductible. We promote the work of EdWatch. If you want to ensure thatour work continues, contact us here. If you want tosubscribe or unsubscribe to this EdAction e-mail service, mail to:edaction@lakes.com. Put "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" inthe SUBJECT of the message.