Good morning. I’m Judy Schaubach, president of Education Minnesota. I am here today to outline our five-point plan for world-class public education in Minnesota. This five-point plan is based upon our union’s basic belief that “great public schools are a basic right for every child,” from pre-kindergarten through college.

Over the past few years, policymakers have not addressed the need for adequate and sustainable revenue for public schools, colleges, and universities. It’s fair to say public education in Minnesota has been seriously neglected for far too long. We need to take this opportunity to focus our attention back on Minnesota public schools and regain our position as the best education system in the country.

It is clear from last year’s election results that the public believes our schools deserve more state support and funding. We hope that our newly-elected policymakers will have the courage to fulfill their campaign promises to public education.

The five-point plan I present today will get us back on track. These legislative priorities, if enacted and fully funded, will make our schools the envy of the nation.

Here are the five points:

• Give kids the right start
• Improve access to higher education
• Create the best possible learning environments for K-12 students
• Create meaningful accountability, and
• Attract and keep great teachers.
  

First, our Legislature must give ALL Minnesota students the right start. This includes equal access to quality public pre-kindergarten programs and voluntary all-day, every-day kindergarten.

Frankly, Minnesota’s current efforts in early education are mediocre at best. Our state has significantly under-provided access to affordable, quality preschool programs. This means many students aren’t coming to school ready for Kindergarten. In 2005, half of Minnesota’s children entering kindergarten were not proficient in two crucial areas: language and literacy and mathematical thinking.

Our kindergarten offerings trail the nation. 29 states already provide funding for all-day, every-day kindergarten, but sadly Minnesota isn’t one of them.

In a state that prides itself on being an educational leader, this is unacceptable. Extensive research shows that pre-K and all-day, every-day kindergarten programs increase student readiness for school, improve student attendance, increase literacy development and narrow achievement gaps between students of different economic and racial or ethnic groups. Locally, a recent study of Burnsville’s all-day kindergarten program confirmed the positive impact on student achievement. By fully funding these programs at the state level, we can ensure similar benefits for all Minnesota children.

The second point of our plan is to improve access to higher education by reducing the tuition burden that discourages many students from attending college—or forces them to take on unacceptable levels of debt. Cuts in state funding over the past decade have led to double-digit percentage increases in tuition and reductions in programs and staff. This has to change.

At a minimum, the Legislature must recommit to funding two-thirds of the cost of educating a college student—which is already written into state law. In addition, the Legislature should provide statewide relief by funding the cost of inflation, technology infrastructures, and recruitment and retention of quality faculty. This investment would benefit all Minnesotans – for each dollar appropriated to state colleges and universities, nearly $11 in economic benefit is returned to the state.

Third, we must create the best possible learning environments for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Because K-12 funding has failed to keep pace with rising costs, academic programs have been cut, schools have increasingly turned to local tax levies to pay for basic operating costs, and class sizes have become unmanageable. Recent news headlines have highlighted these problems across the state. In Willmar class sizes ranged from 30-40 students per class in 2006, well over the recommended levels of 13-17 students. In White Bear Lake, both middle and high school class sizes will reach into the upper 40s by 2007 and administrators say the district is “ reaching the limit of how many bodies it can cram into one space.”

Under-funding of special education costs has only added to the problem. This year, expenditures on special education will be half a billion dollars more than the federal and state revenue available. This means our schools must make up over $600 for every student, by raising local levies or pulling from the general fund. Our state’s top leadership allowed this to happen, and it’s time to fix it. Eliminating this local burden would go a long way in eliminating the significant revenue gap in K-12 education.

Accountability applies to every one—teachers, parents, students, administrators, and policymakers alike.  Teachers and students are accountable every day for improvement in academic performance.   But no test should be allowed to become the single measure of a student’s success or even a school’s success. We must use multiple measures to determine academic achievement. Policy makers must be held accountable by all of us to sustain programs that work with adequate funding and resources. And administrators must be held accountable for creating professional environments where great teaching and learning can occur.

The fifth point focuses on our teachers. Success for all students starts with a great teacher in every classroom. We must attract and keep the best teachers through professional salaries and benefits, including a statewide health insurance plan that provides affordable coverage to all educators. Due to factors like inadequate professional support, poor working conditions and inadequate compensation, nearly half the teachers who entered the teaching profession in Minnesota in 2001 had left by 2006. Effective recruitment, preparation, licensure and hiring bring quality teachers into the classroom. But we also need to provide mentoring programs, career-long professional development and professional salaries and benefits to keep them there.

It is time for our governor and Legislature to invest in Minnesota’s future. I will personally meet with members of both parties and with Governor Pawlenty to forge a solution—any day, any time, in any public school in Minnesota, as I believe THAT is where the governor and others will REALLY see what’s at stake for Minnesota schools.

These five points give ALL Minnesota students access to great public schools. Our students deserve it, and all Minnesotans will reap the benefits. Today, I’m calling on lawmakers to make the courageous decisions needed to put Schools First and make a real difference for Minnesota’s kids.