Dear Friends,
The past couple of weeks have been very busy! We are getting back into the swing of things at the Capitol and there are several bills in the works that I am very excited about as we move forward. Here are some highlights from the start of session through this week:
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Bill
We have a large number of high school graduates in our state who are required to take remedial classes when they get to college. Minnesota students spend nearly $12 million a year on these developmental courses, which typically do not count toward a degree. I have introduced a bill, HF2586, that will provide an additional point of information to students preparing for post-secondary education, and hopefully address the issue for many students.
HF 2586 would have MnSCU (MN State Colleges and Universities) and the MN Department of Education collaborate to identify post-secondary guideline scores on the state’s K-12 reading and math MCA exams. Students begin taking the MCA’s in grade three, so this will give students an earlier indication of whether they are off-track, and more opportunity to recover before getting to college. In addition, this will identify students who are excelling and ready to pursue post-secondary credits (PSEO) while still in high school, a program which saves students much in future college costs.
The advantages that this bill would provide for families and educators are exciting; I look forward to bringing it through the legislative process to hopefully become law!
Meet My Assistant, Kyle!
Colter would like to introduce you all to my legislative assistant, Kyle Berndt.
Kyle helps me juggle things in Saint Paul. If you call my office, he’s usually the first one to answer my phone. Kyle does amazing work for me and is a huge part of helping me do my job for our local communities. As you can see here, Colter gives his stamp of approval too. Thank you, Kyle!
Thank You for Visiting!
I had the pleasure of meeting with a number of constituents who came to the Capitol this week. I want to give a big thank you to the many local people who stopped by. I enjoyed hearing from so many people from 27A communities, including a great group of veterans, some Albert Lea firefighters, a number of area farmers from the Farm Bureau, and the Mayor of Blooming Prairie. I also had a wonderful visit on Wednesday with a number of city leaders from Albert Lea, including Mayor Vern, our city manager, and a number of other city staff and council members. We had a nice dinner together that evening as well!
I really enjoy meeting with people from back home while in Saint Paul, and greatly value the feedback I get on what is needed legislatively for our communities. I believe so strongly that government functions best when it works ground up, taking ideas and input from its local citizens. That’s where the best ideas and solutions are found!
If anyone would like to meet with me in Saint Paul this session, please call my office at 651-296-8216 and set up an appointment. I would love to see you!
Have a nice weekend. Springtime is coming soon!
Sincerely,
Peggy