Dear Friends,
This week I had the honor of visiting the Governor's mansion for a reception hosted by Governor Dayton with some of my colleagues in the legislature. The Governor hosts these receptions near the beginning of each session to better get to know legislators from both parties. I greatly appreciated his hospitality and willingness to open his doors to us.
I really enjoyed talking with him about our mutual love—our shepherds. Governor Dayton owns two German shepherds, Wanamingo and Itasca, and I've got my Shiloh shepherd Colter. We both agreed that our dogs are the best thing to come home to at night. They're not going to judge us for our politics or what we do or don't do - they're just going to love us unconditionally because that's what dogs do. That's one of the amazing blessings of owning a dog!
Also pictured are my good friends and colleagues Rep. Kathy Lohmer from Stillwater and Rep. Abigail Whelan from Anoka.
Education bill, Shell Rock River Water Trail
There are two articles I wanted to share with you about two bills I'm working on. House File 2 is an education bill chief authored by Education Finance Committee Chair Rep. Jen Loon from Eden Prairie. The bill has a number of provisions, but a story from KAAL highlights the parts of the bill that would make it easier for teachers to obtain their teacher licenses.
The bill, while still holding the bar high, would allow candidates to submit ACT or SAT scores if they take and don't pass the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exam, and would help out-of-state teachers obtain their license more quickly if they move to Minnesota. The bill allows for alternative pathways for both Minnesota teachers who are looking to get additional teaching certifications, and out of state teachers, to get licensed in Minnesota.
We also have included provisions in this bill that give school districts that struggle to find qualified teachers (for example, rural districts that cannot find teachers with the right subject certifications) more flexibility to hire local subject experts to teach vocational classes.
Current law allows districts to hire an expert in the field who does not have the proper teaching licensure, but requires districts to seek a waiver from the state before doing so. This waiver process takes time and students lose out on valuable classroom instruction. With this bill, school districts will still be required to submit paperwork to the state, but allows the hiring to take place immediately.
Many school districts across the state, especially in Greater Minnesota, struggle to find and keep good teachers. Some school districts aren't able to offer vocational classes offered in other districts due to the lack of people able to teach the program. This bill will help address those issues, benefiting students while still maintaining proper oversight from the state.
You can read the story from KAAL here.
One of the other bills I'm working on is a bill to designate Shell Rock River Water Trail in Albert Lea as a state water trail. I visited this week with Bill Howe, the Chair of the Shell Rock River Watershed Committee, and Susie Petersen from the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, both of whom are members of the Lakes Foundation of Albert Lea.
I believe we can increase recreation and attract more tourists to our area if we are successful in designating the river as a water trail. Sen. Dan Sparks from Austin is working on a similar proposal in the Senate, and I hope to see it continue to move through the process.
You can read more about the proposals in the Albert Lea Tribune by clicking here.
Please don't hesitate to contact me via email at rep.peggy.bennett@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-8216. You can get more updates on my Facebook and Twitter pages. It's an honor to serve our community in the legislature, and I value your opinions and feedback.
Have a great weekend,
Peggy Bennett
State Representative, District 27A
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