Dear Friends,
It has been a busy couple of weeks. Here is an update on a couple discussions taking place in our community, and some legislation that will benefit our kids and teachers.
State Auditor Hearing in Albert Lea
On February 10th I joined members of the State Government Finance Committee for a hearing at the Freeborn County Courthouse to discuss a statute pertaining to the role of the State Auditor’s Office in performing county audits.
This statute, which was passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Dayton, will help counties save money by giving them the same option that cities and school districts already have to contract with private Certified Public Accountants to perform their annual audits. Prior to this piece of legislation, most counties had been required to contract with the Office of the State Auditor to perform these audits.
Many counties have found significant savings by pricing audits with Certified Public Accountants. In addition, these CPA audits are often completed in a more timely fashion than those from the State Auditor’s office, making the results more useful in budget planning for the following year.
I am confident that this legislation retains the necessary checks and balances for quality audits, while giving the counties more options to get better results and save taxpayer money. To me, it’s just plain common sense!
Reading Core Meeting
Last week, I also drove to Wells to hear from Reading Corps teachers and leaders at USC Elementary. I’m very acquainted with this program, having worked with Reading Corps for a number of years while teaching first grade. At the meeting, we discussed a piece of legislation I am authoring in the House that would allocate more funding for this excellent program in the areas of pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade. We are truly blessed to have so many great teachers in our area, and I believe this legislation will give them more resources to teach our children in the essential areas of reading and math.
Farm Bureau Forum
Following the Reading Corps meeting, I drove over to Hayward for a forum sponsored by the MN Farm Bureau, where we discussed some key issues for farmers, such as the mapping of buffer areas and property taxes. The input I receive from meetings like these is always very valuable. I often refer back to these conversations with constituents when I’m discussing issues back at the Capitol. Thanks to everyone who came out!
Teacher Licensing
Yesterday, the K-12 Education Finance and Education Policy committees (I am a member of both) held a joint hearing to receive an update on the progress of alternative teacher licensing for the state. Last session, we passed a directive asking the Board of Teaching to give current and prospective teachers the option of getting their teaching license via portfolio (documenting quality teaching experience) if they so choose. This will create a second licensing option for teachers, in addition to the current traditional licensing path. We also asked the BOT to make the pathway to licensure for out of state teachers who want to get a MN teaching license more transparent and predictable. Both of these directives are aimed at helping Minnesota continue to maintain quality teachers in our classrooms as well as help address the current teacher shortage.
Mystery Reader
This morning I had such a great time being a "mystery reader" at Lakeview School for Ms. Nelson's kindergarten classroom. It's "I Love to Read" month and the schools have various community leaders come into the classrooms to read to the students. Colter got to come with too, so he could show the kids how important it is to practice reading.
I read a picture storybook I had written a few years ago about my new kitten Kelchi meeting Colter for the first time, and then Colter showed the kids how he can read. He even howled for the kids, which they thought was very funny. We sure had fun!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Peggy