— Minnesota
Roll Call of votes in the Senate
followed by our comments

Senate votes taken on Thursday, March 16, 2000. The bill before the Senate was an amended version of Senator Pogemiller's Profile fix-it bill, SF3286. On the legislative website, this version is available as "The 2nd Engrossment, March 16th".  The Senate's final action was to pass this bill, 44 to 22. The roll call votes listed here reflect action on the amendments that came before the Senate.

Remember to Contact these Senators!

The good votes are in blue.  The bad votes are in red.

VOTE  A
Senator Ziegler moved to enact an indefinite moratorium on the Profile of Learning, with an act of the legislature required to lift that moratorium. The motion failed, 26 to 35.
Voting YES: Berg, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Frederickson, Hanson, Dean Johnson, Kierlin, Kleis, Langseth, Larson, Lesewski, Limmer, Marty, Neuville, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Robling, Sams, Samuelson, Scheevel, Stevens, Terwilliger, Vickerman, Ziegler
Voting NO: Anderson, Belanger, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Doug Johnson, Dave Johnson, Steve Kelley, Randy Kelly, Kinkel, Kiscaden, Knutson, Krentz, Laidig, Lourey, Metzen, Novak, Oliver, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Scheid, Solon, Spear, Stumpf, Wiener
Abstained: Lessard, Junge, Moe, Runbeck, Wiger
Absent: Murphy

 

VOTE  B
Senator Gen Olson moved to replace Senator Pogemiller's bill with the Northstar Standard. The motion failed, 24 to 36.
Voting YES: Berg, Belanger, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Frederickson, Kierlin, Kiscaden, Kleis, Knutson, Larson, Lesewski, Limmer, Neuville, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Robling, Runbeck, Scheevel, Stevens, Terwilliger, Ziegler
Voting NO: Anderson, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Dave Johnson, Dean Johnson, Doug Johnson, Junge, Steve Kelley, Randy Kelly, Kinkel, Krentz, Langseth, Laidig, Lessard, Lourey, Marty, Novak, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Samuelson, Scheid, Spear, Stumpf, Vickerman, Wiener
Abstained: Hanson, Metzen, Moe, Sams, Solon, Wiger
Absent: Murphy

 

VOTE  C
Senator Neuville moved to allow districts to opt out of the Profile of Learning and replace it with rigorous academic achievement. The motion failed, 31 to 32.
Voting YES: Berg, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Frederickson, Hanson, Dean Johnson, Randy Kelly, Kierlin, Kinkel, Kiscaden, Kleis, Knutson, Langseth, Lesewski, Lessard, Limmer, Marty, Neuville, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Robling, Runbeck, Scheevel, Stevens, Terwilliger, Vickerman, Wiger, Ziegler
Voting NO: Anderson, Belanger, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Dave Johnson, Doug Johnson, Junge, Steve Kelley, Krentz, Laidig, Larson, Lourey, Moe, Novak, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Samuelson, Scheid, Spear, Stumpf, Wiener
Abstained: Metzen, Sams, Solon
Absent: Murphy
Note: Following this vote, Sen. Larson moved to reconsider the vote, so as to allow him to change his vote. The vote to reconsider failed.

 

VOTE  D
Senator Gen Olson moved to replace Sen. Pogemiller's bill with the House bill as it had come out of committee. That bill has a genuine moratorium requiring legislative action before it would be lifted. It replaced the words "performance based" with "academic achievement." It allowed school districts to implement a system of high academic achievement during the moratorium, and it exempted charter schools from the Profile mandate. The motion failed, 30 to 32.
Voting YES: Berg, Belanger, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Frederickson, Hanson, Dean Johnson, Kierlin, Kiscaden, Kleis, Knutson, Langseth, Larson, Lesewski, Lessard, Limmer, Marty, Neuville, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Robling, Runbeck, Samuelson, Scheevel, Stevens, Terwilliger, Ziegler
Voting NO: Anderson, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Dave Johnson, Doug Johnson, Junge, Randy Kelly, Steve Kelley, Kinkel, Krentz, Laidig, Lourey, Novak, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Scheid, Spear, Stumpf, Vickerman, Wiener, Wiger
Abstained: Metzen, Moe, Sams, Solon
Absent: Murphy

 

VOTE  E
Senator Scheevel moved to allow students in the Post Secondary Options program to be released from the Profile mandates. The motion failed, 31 to 34.
Voting YES: Belanger, Berg, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Frederickson, Hanson, Dean Johnson, Kierlin, Kiscaden, Kleis, Knutson, Langseth, Larson, Lesewski, Limmer, Marty, Neuville, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Price, Robling, Runbeck, Sams, Scheevel, Stevens, Terwilliger, Wiger, Ziegler
Voting NO: Anderson, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Dave Johnson, Doug Johnson, Junge, Randy Kelly, Steve Kelley, Kinkel, Krentz, Laidig, Lessard, Lourey, Metzen, Moe, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Samuelson, Scheid, Solon, Spear, Stumpf, Vickerman, Wiener
Abstained: Novak
Absent: Murphy

 

VOTE  F
Senator Runbeck moved to return the Basic Skills Writing Test of January 20, 2000, back to the students with the scored responses. "District personnel shall not have access to the students' responses for any purpose except to return the responses to the students." Sen. Pogemiller successfully amended her amendment to read, "upon the request of the student." Then Sen. Runbeck amended her bill further to say, "The remainder of the tests shall be destroyed." The motion passed, 59 to 6. 
Voting YES: Anderson, Belanger, Berg, Berglin, Cohen, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Foley, Frederickson, Hanson, Hottinger, Janezich, Dave Johnson, Dean Johnson, Doug Johnson, Junge, Randy Kelly, Steve Kelley, Kinkel, Kierlin, Kiscaden, Kleis, Knutson, Krentz, Laidig, Langseth, Larson, Lesewski, Lessard, Limmer, Lourey, Metzen, Moe, Neuville, Novak, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Robling, Runbeck, Sams, Samuelson, Scheevel, Scheid, Solon, Stevens, Stumpf, Terwilliger, Vickerman, Wiener, Wiger, Ziegler
Voting NO: Betzold, Flynn, Higgins, Pappas, Piper, Spear
Abstained: Marty
Absent: Murphy

 

VOTE  G
Senator Runbeck moved to prohibit intimidation of teachers who express views concerning the Profile. Sen. Pogemiller insisted teachers are totally free to express themselves and he mocked the idea that there is any intimidation going on. Her amendment was defeated on a voice vote.

 

VOTE  H
The final vote on Sen. Pogemiller's Profile Fix-it Bill (SF 3286) passed the bill, 44 to 22.
Voting YES: Anderson, Belanger, Berglin, Betzold, Cohen, Flynn, Foley, Frederickson, Higgins, Hottinger, Janezich, Doug Johnson, Dave Johnson, Dean Johnson, Junge, Steve Kelley, Randy Kelly, Kinkel, Kiscaden, Knutson, Krentz, Laidig, Lessard, Lourey, Marty, Metzen, Moe, Novak, Pappas, Piper, Pogemiller, Price, Ranum, Ring, Robertson, Sams, Samuelson, Scheid, Solon, Spear, Stumpf, Terwilliger, Wiener, Wiger
Voting NO: Berg, Day, Dille, Fischbach, Hanson, Kierlin, Kleis, Langseth, Larson, Lesewski, Limmer, Neuville, Oliver, Olson, Ourada, Pariseau, Robling, Runbeck, Scheevel, Stevens, Vickerman, Ziegler
Abstained: none
Absent: Murphy

COMMENTS:

  1. The close votes on Votes C & D are considered a clear message from the Senate to Sen. Pogemiller that the Senate wants him to accept a compromise with the House along the lines of those two amendments. Word has it that Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe also wants that kind of compromise. Will Senator Pogemiller, the Chair of the Senate Education Committee and chief legislative architect of the Profile allow that kind of relief from the Profile?

    Pogemiller: "We cannot send a message to the MREA, Education Minnesota, the superintendents, the MN Business Partnership that the state won't stay the course."

    If Pogemiller will not accept these changes, then who is it that is in control of the Senate? Is it Roger Moe, the elected Senate Majority Leader, or is it Larry Pogemiller?

  2. In one more outrageous move, the following language was deleted from Sen. Pogemiller's bill on a voice vote: "Students participating in group projects shall be scored individually based on their contribution to the project." The motion was made by Sen. Price, but the move clearly had the support of Sen. Pogemiller. They decided the language was micro-managing the schools. It is astonishing how selective these lawmakers are in deciding not to micro-manage.
  3. Several teachers were there to lobby against the Northstar Standard. However, they had been provided false information about its content and they were astounded to discover it was nothing like what their union had described. They had been told that the Northstar Standard allows teachers no freedom to develop and teach their own curriculum. We offered them a copy of the bill to take back with them and they no longer opposed the bill.
  4. Sen. Gen Olson, in describing the Profile's "High Standards," said, "If swimming were the outcome, getting wet would be the standard. A one is all it takes." In describing the legal micro-managing mandates of the Profile, Sen. Olson went on, "We have dictated courses, teaching method and curriculum in rule, which has the force of law." [Profile proponents hide behind the general language of the laws they pass, and leave the detailed mandates up to the Department of CFL to put it into rule, also having the force of law, but not passed directly by the legislature.]   "Rule is set by people who don't stand for election. Rule is law."
  5. Last year, Sen. Dean Johnson was censured by his Republican delegates back home in Willmar for supporting the Profile. He subsequently switched parties. This year, he spoke eloquently against continuing the Profile mandate. Obviously, it isn't just conservative Republicans who are on his case! He has heard from his constituents and from teachers loudly and clearly.

Thank you to all of the Senators who made the case for parents, teachers, and students. Senator Pogemiller was fighting for the life of his Profile of Learning. Last year, it was a cakewalk. Do not let up pressure on Senator Moe and all the Senators to accept nothing less than a real moratorium, with the Northstar Standard as an option for schools when it returns from conference committee for a final vote of the Senate.

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