TWENTY FOURTH MEETING

STATE OF MINNESOTA TWENTY FOURTH MEETING
MN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY SECOND SESSION

EDUCATION FINANCE
MINUTES

Representative Jim Davnie, Chair of the Education Finance Committee, called the virtual meeting to order at 10:30am on March 4, 2021 pursuant to House rule 10.01. The meeting is being broadcast via Zoom and House Public Information Services.

The Committee Legislative Assistant noted the roll.

Members present:
DAVNIE, Jim
SANDSTEDE, Julie
KRESHA, Ron
BENNETT, Peggy
DANIELS, Brian
DEMUTH, Lisa
DRAZKOWSKI, Steve
ERICKSON, Sondra
FEIST, Sandra
JORDAN, Sydney
MARQUART, Paul
MUELLER, Patricia
RICHARDSON, Ruth
THOMPSON, John
WOLGAMOTT, Dan
XIONG, Tou
YOUAKIM, Cheryl

A quorum was present.

Rep. Feist moved that the minutes from March 3, 2021 be approved. Motion prevailed.

HF 649 (Sandstede) Minnesota’s PSEO dual enrollment programs included concurrent enrollment courses. A concurrent enrollment course is usually taught by a high school teacher at the high school under the supervision and direction of a higher education partner institution. The higher education institutions are subject to accreditation, and the accrediting partner for many of Minnesota’s higher education institutions is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This regional accrediting authority sets educational standards for instructors, including that PSEO concurrent enrollment teachers have either a master’s degree in their content area or at least 18 graduate-level credits in the teacher’s content area. A number of Minnesota’s teachers who teach concurrent enrollment courses do not have these credentials. Minnesota’s Legislature acted in 2016 to appropriate money for a program enabling teachers to acquire the necessary graduate credits. The program is hosted by the Lake Country Service Cooperative and is named the “18 Online” program (after the 18 graduate credits the teachers need to acquire in their respective content areas). After the first year of the program serving teachers in the Northwest region of the state, the program was extended statewide, but some confusion resulted from the terminology and the way the statewide program was described. The program was most recently funded at $1.775 million for fiscal year 2020 and $375,000 for fiscal year 2021. HF 649 clarifies the program’s structure, expands the teachers that may participate in the program, and appropriates $1 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2022 to Lakes Country Service Cooperative as the fiscal agent for the 18 Online partnership.

Rep. Sandstede moved that HF 649 be presented before the committee; be laid over for further consideration at a later time.

Rep. Sandstede presented HF 649.

Rep. Sandstede renewed the motion that HF 649 be laid over for further consideration at a later time.

HF 1314 (Morrison) The Minnesota Youth Council Committee provides advice and recommendations to the legislature and the governor on issues affecting youth and serves as a liaison for youth around the state to the legislature and the governor. The Council is statutorily established consisting of four members from each of Minnesota’s eight Congressional districts and four at-large members. The program is placed under the auspices of the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, a nonprofit organization, and the members of the Council are chosen through a process conducted by the Minnesota Alliance with Youth. HF 1314 changes the Minnesota Youth Council Committee members’ eligibility from one stated in age (between the age of 13 to 19) to eligibility stated as grades (students in grades 8 through 12), statutorily allows the Council’s activities to be funded through appropriations to the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, and appropriates $375,000 each year for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 for the activities of the Council.

Rep. Marquart moved that HF 1314 be presented before the committee; be laid over for further consideration at a later time.

Rep. Morrison presented HF 1314.

Rep. Marquart renewed the motion that HF 1314 be laid over for further consideration at a later time.

Testifiers:
Jeremy Kovash, Executive Director, Lakes Country Service Cooperative
Kelly Anderson, High School Principal, Hawley Public Schools
Dean Monke, High School Principal, Fergus Falls Public Schools
Ava Kalenze, CD 4 Representative & 12th Grade Student, St. Anthony Village High School
Paula Akakpo, CD 4 Representative & 11th Grade Student, Woodbury Math + Science Academy
Bridget Westrum, CD 7 Representative & 11th Grade Student
Weston Loughmiller, CD 1 Representative & 12th Grade Student, Fairmont High School
Neese Parker, MN Youth Council Alumni
D’Andre Gordon, MN Youth Council Alumni


The meeting of the Education Finance Committee was adjourned 11:30am.


______________________________________________
Representative Jim Davnie, Chair

______________________________________________
Brittney Sunderland, Committee Legislative Assistant