February 16, 2009: Legislative Report #19

Introduced on 1/12/09, House File #15 is over the top for constitutional interference in Minnesota family personal affairs. Committee testimony, and in the bills language provided multiple justifications for the need for Minnesota education to remove children from home and educate “at-risk four-year-olds”.

Minnesota education NEEDS to get the current K-12 education system overhauled, hold education accountable, return to the basics and educate the existing K-12 pupil population. The early childhood education bill for 4 year olds has no place in Minnesota. The Education community is attempting to set up a new layer of full time students for Minnesota using 4 year olds. The bills language could potentially put every Minnesota 4-year-old (Estimated at 86,300 for 2009) into full time school.  

Screening: 
Included in the bill are plans to screen every 4 year old looking for troubled kids. The constitution fails to provide Minnesota education or the state for that matter any authority to implement this intrusive screening process.  

Program Cost:
The state promises $9,000 per child for school districts who implement the “at-risk four-year-olds” program. If implemented, and expanded to all Minnesota children, the taxpayer could be on the hook at an annual increased tax burden of $776,700,000.00. In addition, even if the school district has no students to place in the program, so long as the school district intends to implement the program in 10-11 school year, the bill allows school districts to collect $9,000.00 per 4-year-old student in the district for the 09-10 school year.  

Lobby influence:
Daily, Education Minnesota is lobbing legislative representatives in Saint Paul for additional funding including K-12 education. In 2007 alone, Education Minnesota spent $1,560,000.00 lobbing at the state capital. Expectation of support comes with lobby-invested dollars. 

Teacher-Student Ratio and program funding: 
Minnesota taxpayers spend an average $10,000.00 per student with state funds. Additional federal and other funds bring total spending to about $13,000.00 per student per year. With an average class size of 24 students per class, Minnesota spends $312,000.00 per classroom. HF #15 provides a mandate on ratios in the class of six students per teacher with a maximum class size of 18 students. HF #15 provides $9,000.00 for each student, 18-total, with three teachers. The state is only providing $162,000.00 per classroom. K-12 education in Minnesota claims the current funding formulas and $13,000.00 per K-12 student falls short of the real costs for education. So I ask the simple question, who believes an “at risk 4-year old” statewide mandated program can live on $9,000.00 per student.