Legislative
(Updated April 2010)- Parents United Network
- Eden Prairie (District 42) Legislators
- Governor
- Minnesota Department of Education
- Minnesota Legislature
- Votetracker
- Visiting the Capitol
- Our Legislators in Washington, D.C.
- Other Information Sources
- Association of Metropolitan School Districts
- Education Minnesota
- Minnesota School Boards Association
- Minnesota PTA
- National PTA
- Minnesota Gifted & Talented Statutes
- Eden Prairie School District Gifted & Talented
Parents United Network
“Parents United Network is a non-partisan statewide organization bringing together parents and other Minnesotans in an effort to support quality E-12 public education.” For information about their efforts, upcoming events, and signing up for e-mail notices, visit Parents United Network
Eden Prairie (District 42) Legislators
District 42A (Northwest part of EP)
Representative Maria Ruud (DFL)
District 42B
Representative Jenifer Loon (R)
Governor
Governor Tim Pawlenty
Room 130, State Capitol
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-3391
E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
Website: www.governor.state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Education
Commissioner Alice Seagren
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113-4266
(651) 582-8200
Wendy A. Behrens
Gifted & Talented Education Specialist
Minnesota Department of Education
Academic Standards & Professional Development
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113-4266
(651) 582-8786
Website: http://education.state.mn.us
E-mail: go to website above and choose Contact MDE link.
Minnesota Legislature
Television coverage of the Legislature in the Twin Cities: Channel 2.2
Live coverage of floor sessions and committee hearings is provided throughout the day, and taped coverage is played between live proceedings.
How a bill becomes law in Minnesota
Check out this helpful section, including flow chart, of how bills become law in our process: www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/howbill.asp
The legislative website has access to both the Senate and House web pages; statutes, laws, and rules; a process for tracking bills of interest; committees, their memberships, and a process for getting updates on meeting dates and agendas; publications; etc.
Minnesota Senate
Senate Information Office
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 231
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
(651) 296-0504
www.senate.leg.state.mn.us
Newsletter available online only: Senate Briefly
Majority Leader
Senator Larry Pogemiller (DFL)
Minority Leader
Senator David H. Senjem (R)
Senate committees on education issues
-
Senate K-12 Education Budget Division (of Finance Committee)
Senator LeRoy Stumpf (DFL), Chair
Senator David Hann, member (represents Eden Prairie) -
Senate Education Committee
Senator Charles W. Wiger (DFL), Chair
Senator David Hann, ranking minority member (represents Eden Prairie) -
Senate Higher Education Budget Division (of Finance Committee)
Senator Sandra Pappas (DFL), Chair
-
Senate Committee on Taxes
Senator Thomas Bakk (DFL), Chair
Minnesota House
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-2146
www.house.leg.state.mn.us
Weekly newsletter available via mail or online: Session Weekly
Online daily news updated during the legislative session: Session Daily
Speaker of the House
Rep. Margaret Kelliher (DFL)
Majority Leader
Rep. Anthony "Tony" Sertich (R)
Minority Leader
Rep. Kurt Zellers (R)
House committees on education issues
-
K-12 Education
Policy & Oversight
Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL), Chair -
Early Childhood Learning and Finance Division
Rep. Nora Slawik (DFL), Chair -
Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL), Chair
-
K-12
Education Finance Division
Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL), Chair -
Taxes Committee
Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL), Chair
Votetracker
You can see how your legislator is voting on issues, follow key legislation, read background information on issues, and see related Minnesota Public Radio stories at Minnesota Public Radio’s website, http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/votetracker>
Visiting the Capitol
For directions, parking and tour information, see
www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/Cme2Cap.pdf
or go to the house website and select Come to the Capitol.
For your first stop, you might want to visit the House Public Information Office, Room 175, State Office Building (just west of the Capitol). You can pick up a number of publications and check daily and weekly committee schedules.
If you wish to personally meet with a legislator, please call ahead to schedule an appointment and let the legislator (or legislative assistant who answers the phone) know your topic(s) of discussion and size of group.
Our Legislators in Washington, D.C.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL)
United States Sentate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator Al Franken (DFL)
United States Sentate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Congressman Erik Paulsen (R)
126 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Other Information Sources
Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD) – www.amsd.org
For legislative updates, position papers, bill summaries, parent lobbying resources (including an explanation of how K-12 bills differ from others), statistical data on member districts, calendar and events.
Education Minnesota (EM) – www.educationminnesota.org
This teachers’ organization site has legislative information of interest under Policy/Politics and also tracks news articles of particular on education issues.
Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) – www.mnmsba.org
Check out the Governmental Relations link and especially Capitol Compass, to get assessments of legislative activity.
Minnesota PTA – www.mnpta.org
In particular, check Advocacy Resources and Resources and Links.
National PTA – www.pta.org
Through the Issues & Action link you can sign up to receive the online newsletter “This Week in Washington.”
Minnesota Gifted & Talented Statutes
Legislation
Minnesota Statute §120B.15
GIFTED and TALENTED STUDENTS PROGRAM sections (a) and (b) permit school
districts and charter schools to identify students who are gifted and talented,
develop and evaluate programs to serve them locally and provide staff
development to ensure that they have access to challenging educational programs.
The legislation also provides guidance for districts to adopt procedures for
assessing and identifying students.
Section (c) directs school districts and charter
schools to adopt procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and talented
students that include an assessment of students' readiness and motivation for
acceleration and a match between the curriculum and the students' academic
needs. (Districts may wish to implement policies that reflect gifted and
talented best practices, consistent with
Minnesota Statute §120B.15.)
Gifted and talented revenue (Minnesota Statute §126C.10 Subd. 2 (b)) provides school districts and charter schools
with $12 times a district’s adjusted marginal cost pupil units (AMCPU). Uses of
this revenue:
1. Identify gifted and talented students.
2. Provide
education programs for gifted and talented students.
3. Provide staff
development to prepare teachers to best meet the unique needs of gifted and
talented students.
120B.15 GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS
PROGRAMS.
(a) School districts may identify students, locally develop
programs, provide staff
development, and evaluate programs to provide gifted
and talented students with challenging
educational programs.
(b)
School districts may adopt guidelines for assessing and identifying students for
participation in gifted and talented programs. The guidelines should include
the use of:
(1) multiple and objective criteria; and
(2)
assessments and procedures that are valid and reliable, fair, and based on
current theory
and research.
(c) School districts must adopt
procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and
talented students.
These procedures must include how the district will:
(1) assess a
student's readiness and motivation for acceleration; and
(2) match the
level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to a student to achieve the best
type of academic acceleration for that student.
126C.10 GENERAL EDUCATION REVENUE.
Subd. 2b. Gifted
and talented revenue. Gifted and talented revenue for each district equals
the district's adjusted marginal cost pupil units for that school year times
$12 for fiscal year
2008 and later. A school district must reserve gifted
and talented revenue and, consistent with
section
120B.15, must spend the revenue only to:
(1) identify gifted and
talented students;
(2) provide education programs for gifted and talented
students; or
(3) provide staff development to prepare teachers to best
meet the unique needs of gifted
and talented students.
120B.20 PARENTAL CURRICULUM REVIEW.
Each school district shall have a procedure for a parent, guardian, or an adult student, 18 years of age or older, to review the content of the instructional materials to be provided to a minor child or to an adult student and, if the parent, guardian, or adult student objects to the content, to make reasonable arrangements with school personnel for alternative instruction. Alternative instruction may be provided by the parent, guardian, or adult student if the alternative instruction, if any, offered by the school board does not meet the concerns of the parent, guardian, or adult student. The school board is not required to pay for the costs of alternative instruction provided by a parent, guardian, or adult student. School personnel may not impose an academic or other penalty upon a student merely for arranging alternative instruction under this section. School personnel may evaluate and assess the quality of the student's work.
Eden Prairie School District
Link to: Eden Prairie School District Gifted & Talented Program description.

