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

May 16, 2007

St. Paul: Final Actions Coming Fast

With the Governor's recent vetoes of the tax bill and other major spending bills, the logjam is now broken at the Capitol and movement is happening rapidly, including on education issues. The session is officially over at midnight on Monday, May 21st. All issues are expected to be resolved by that time. No one anticipates moving into a special session.

Thank the Governor for his vetoes.
Phone: (651) 296-3391
Phone: (800) 657-3717
Fax: (651) 296-2089
E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

Thank the strong unity of House members
who were willing to stand together to uphold those veto.
Phone Minority Leader Marty Seifert: (651) 296-5374
E-mail: rep.marty.seifert@house.mn

New Education bill (HF 2245)
The education conference committee did not meet for a couple of weeks, pending resolution of the tax issues. However, a newly constructed education bill was put together in the Senate Rules Committee last night. It is being heard and passed on the Senate floor today. From there it will immediately move to the House floor, on a fast track to the Governor's desk. The goal is to have this bill out voted out of the House by midnight tonight.

Here is the current status of the issues EdWatch has been tracking.
Due to the Governor's veto of major tax increases, and due to the strong unity of House members in upholding his veto, the new education omnibus spending bill (HF 2245) has no new Early Childhood programs.

On the positive side, this is where you're faithful involvement all session has been making a difference:

HF 2245 has no new entitlement, called "allowances," as was in the Senate education bill. This would also be a take-over of independent, non-public and religious pre-school and childcare by forcing all providers to implement state-defined outcomes in order to receive the allowances.
HF 2245 has no new state government bureaucracy, called Hubs, that would put every aspect of early childhood and family life under a centralized government system, as was in the House education bill. This would include bringing ECFE, education, home visiting, mental health, social services, curriculum, assessment, ID numbers all under one umbrella.
HF 2245 does not establish a school readiness advisory board charged with, among other things, the implementation of a federal program called the State Early Childhood Comprehensive System. These are plans to "assure that all children ages birth to five are screened early and continuously for the presence of health, socioemotional or developmental needs." This was the "infant mental health" provision that EdWatch opposes.
HF 2245 has no requirement for early childhood providers based on a state-defined Quality Rating System that will include gender, group identity, social activism, environmentalism, and primarily feminine characteristics. This was in both the House and Senate education bills.
HF 2245 does not require all districts to teach comprehensive sex education, as was in the House education bill.
HF 2245 has no All-Day Kindergarten provision.
HF 2245 does not establish the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation (MELF) (a private, non-elected, non-governmental agency supported by big business) to be in charge of setting public early childhood policy for the whole state through quality rating systems, determining who is qualified to receive allowances, which programs may be involved in scholarship programs, etc. It would establish unaccountable, unelected government.
HF 2245 does include a requirement for the state to inform parents that they may choose not to participate in preschool screening.

On the negative side:

HF 2245 does have TeenScreen, disguised in a Safe Schools Levy, as contained in the House education bill. It is now described as a voluntary, opt-in program.
HF 2245 does have expanded funding and support for un-American the International Baccalaureate program.
HF 2245 does require all districts to teach comprehensive sex education, as was in the House education bill.

TAKE ACTION NOW ---

Urge the Governor to Veto HF 2245
if these provisions are still contained in the bill.

New Health & Human Services bill (HF 1078)
The Governor vetoed the first version of the HHS bill (SF 2171). A new HHS bill was put together in the Senate Rules Committee yesterday, and it, too, is being heard and passed on the Senate floor today. It is expected to pass the House by midnight today, as well. This new version (HF 1078), unfortunately still contains all of the provisions that EdWatch has opposed. They are:

* Discriminatory Mental Screening of Poor Children: A pilot program is established that will psychiatrically screen the children of those receiving benefits through the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a program for low-income families. See "Oppose Discriminatory Mental Screening of Poor Children!" (March 13, 2007)

* Expanding State Oversight of Families: Expands home visiting to prenatal; links new parents to numerous government services which breeds government dependency; expands state home visits to those "at risk" of going on welfare and to undefined factors determined by the Commissioner; does not inform parents about personal data collection during visits and sharing that data with other agencies. Families are also steered into numerous government services like preschool and mental health and are not always informed that their visitor is a mandated child abuse reporter. See "Home Visiting Womb to Tomb Control" (February 22, 2007).

* Subsidizing controversial preschool teacher development program, TEACH (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps): TEACH requires the radical National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) curriculum. (See EdWatch update of March 30, 2007.) NAEYC promotes teaching sexuality issues to young children. (See their sex ed curriculum from their online store.) NAEYC publishes and promotes the Anti-Bias Curriculum which discusses gender identity, anatomy, and gender roles with three year olds. It also discusses homosexuality, witchcraft, environmentalism, multiculturalism, and training in political activism. These curricula do nothing to close the achievement gap.

* Expanding State Oversight of private "Family, Friends and Neighbors" Child Care: Community groups are funded to train private child care providers, including aunts and grandmothers, in the controversial and biased state outcomes ( Early Child Indicators of Progress).
These outcomes include gender identity training, diversity training, environmentalism, group identity, and careers. The program steers providers to child mental screening and referrals. The program links the private providers to numerous government services which breeds government dependency. Providers are evaluated on how they comply with the state defined outcomes and data is collected and stored on them without their notification. Money is made available to providers to bring their service into compliance with state outcomes.

TAKE ACTION NOW ---

Urge the Governor to Veto the NEW Health & Human Services Bill
HF 1078, if it still has these provisions in it.

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

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