Gov. Dayton is taking Minnesota's kids in the wrong direction

Video: Minnesota Action Network

Education funding vs. education outcomes

Gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson at Global Academy, Oct. 13

Jeff Johnson needs to steer the focus of the K-12 education conversation away from "cutting funding" to improving outcomes.

The Minneapolis and Saint Paul school districts receive the most money per pupil, thanks to Minnesota's highly political school funding "formula," yet the Gopher State's achievement gap remains among the highest in the country. It doesn't matter much how Representative Johnson voted on this or that education finance bill back in the day. Why? Because Minnesota funds schools, instead of each child.

For decades, the cards at the Capitol have been stacked in favor of the teacher's union and big city school districts. Education Minnesota has the slick TV ads, a huge permanent presence in the Education Building at the State Fair, and a forward operating base across the street from the Capitol. Make no mistake, in spite of the cheerful public relations and your fondness for your child's teacher, the union exists to act in the best interests of its members.

Johnson's visit this week to the Global Academy public charter school in Columbia Heights highlighted how kids can benefit when academics take precedence over politics. Among the school's challenges:

• 98% of students are immigrants themselves or children of immigrants
• 92% of students receive free or reduced-price lunches
• 74% of students are non-white
• 10 different languages are spoken by student body
• In 2008, 88% of students were classified ESL (English as a second language)

In spite of these challenges:

• In 2014, just 46% of students are classified ESL, due to its students becoming proficient in English
• Global Academy students score higher than the state average (of all students regardless of race or income) on all three subjects tested (reading, math and science)
• On average, Global Academy students score 30-40 points higher on state standardized tests than peer students in traditional district public schools
• In 2014, Global Academy students ranked #1 in reading on the Star Tribune “Beating the Odds” list (highest proficiency among metro-area schools with at least 85% poverty)
• Global Academy ranked #6 in math in the Star Tribune list

Charter schools, even though they are still public schools, are anathema to the education establishment. With outcomes like this, don't you wonder why?

When Republicans focus on excellent education outcomes (or lack thereof in the case of those who put the "L" in the DFL), they can win. In a contest over who can outspend the other on cradle-to-grave government education programs, Republicans don't have a school prayer.

Lowering standards for teachers and academics will not close the achievement gap

 

Lowering standards for teachers and academics will not close the nation's widest achievement gap and give Minnesota and our kids a bright future. Put Minnesota's students first, not the teachers' union. Vote Jeff Johnson for Governor and Ryan Rutzick for Representative in Minnesota House District 44B.

Gov. Dayton earns an "F" in EdPolicy 101

“The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools.” —Constitution of the State of Minnesota, Article XIII, Sec. 1

When the DFL puts the interests of the teachers' union above the needs of Minnesota's public school students, we get headlines like this, year after year:

• State standardized test scores show little change; achievement gap persists (Star Tribune)
• Minnesota student performance on proficiency tests holds steady, with some modest gains (Pioneer Press)
• Achievement gap persists in statewide MCA test scores; slight improvement overall (Minnesota Public Radio)

Don't remember hearing about this? It may be because the state Department of Education released their annual report of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments standardized testing on August 26, when Minnesotans were either at the lake or enjoying the unofficial last week of summer at the Minnesota State Fair.

By doubling the number of standardized tests that middle and high school students will be required to take, Gov. Dayton and the DFL legislature have ensured that “paralysis by analysis” will preserve Minnesota's achievement gap between white and minority students for another generation.

In contrast, union interests are being well-served by the majority party in Saint Paul:

• Democrats prioritize seniority over teaching ability (one doesn't guarantee the other) when they oppose ending the state's last-in/first-out teacher layoff law.
• Democrats protect union members when they oppose introducing innovative programs like Teach for America into low-performing public schools.
• Gov. Dayton put union interests above high teaching standards when he vetoed a bill that would have required new teachers to pass a basic skills test before teaching in a classroom.

When he was a Minnesota legislator, Republican candidate for governor Jeff Johnson voted to increase K-12 funding, although some would define voting for a smaller increase than was requested as “voting to decrease funding.” Governor Johnson would advocate for genuine education reforms that would make Minnesota's students, especially those who are unfairly stuck in the gap, the top priority again.

A new way of smilin' and dialin'

Ronald Reagan starred in a 1960s black-and-white film that showed off what was then state-of-the-art get-out-the-vote (GOTV) technology: typewritten lists of voters and telephone numbers, and rows of dedicated volunteers dialing (as in rotary dialing) each call to ask for their vote in the next election. Unfortunately, every phone bank shift I have ever worked has relied on pretty much the same system: what Mr. Spock might characterize as “stone knives and bearskins.”

This week, I worked a shift at a GOP phone bank to remind folks to vote in next Tuesday's primary election for our endorsed candidates. I am happy to say that Reagan wouldn't have recognized it.

The volunteers still do the smiling, but the computers do the dialing. The software can even leave a voice mail message while the volunteer moves to the next call. These two simple innovations should significantly increase the number of voters reached per hour and make the volunteer's job much easier and less error-prone.

This year, it's easier and more convenient than ever to plow through a couple hours of phone bank calls, and more productive to boot. Contact the Minnesota GOP or your local BPOU (Senate District or county) to sign up. (Paper lists, pencils, and push-button telephones are still available if you would prefer them!)

The "Education Governor"

K-12 education consumes 41% of our state's 2014-2015 budget, the largest category by 11 percent next to health & human services. Education policy is a crucial component of how our next governor will lead, and is directly linked to the performance of our economy and quality of life in our state.

Say what you will about former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but I will always harbor some loyalty to him for his part in replacing the process-centered Profile of Learning state education standards, which were put into place largely by administrative rule under the Jesse Ventura administration with little or no input from the Legislature. Pawlenty's administration replaced The Profile with knowledge-based academic standards, and enabled school districts to use the Q Comp pay-for-performance system for teachers instead of the "steps and lanes" system favored by the teachers unions, which rewards seniority and continuing education.

Jeff Johnson, candidate for the Republican endorsement for governor, published a challenging blog post Monday, "We Are All In This Together," in observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. He challenged us all, Democrats and Republicans, and everyone else, to not be satisfied with just having a diverse cast "at the table." He challenged Minnesotans to pursue education policies that have shown actual results in closing the achievement gap, instead of policies that simply follow party or ideological orthodoxy.

As Ronald Reagan famously observed, when government expands, liberty contracts. So it is with the so-called Common Core standards, like No Child Left Behind, yet another attempt to impose curriculum and standards onto local school districts. The State of Minnesota and its school districts have plenty of experts in curriculum and instruction to ensure world-class academics in our public schools. We do not need Common Core. I will be calling on all of the candidates for governor to earn my vote in the primary election by saying "no" to Common Core.

"Growth and opportunity party" reaches out

If you stop by the Minnesota State Fair booth of the Republican Party of Minnesota (RPM), you'll see something completely different from previous years. Besides the snazzy new visual design (I saw graphic designer Derek Brigham's fingerprints all over it, FINALLY), the focus has shifted from the party to the people.

Counterintuitively, the booth no longer screams REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MINNESOTA. Instead, the main messages are "Repeal Obamacare," "Growth and Opportunity," and "The American Dream." The traditional emphasis on candidates, GOTV (Get Out The Vote), and volunteer recruiting are replaced with interactive issues surveys collected on iPads, with realtime results displayed on large-screen monitors. You can spin the prize wheel and buy a button for $2 with Republican messaging, like the PROUD CONSERVATIVE button I bought.

Maybe because it's a non-election year, or maybe someone at the RPM has realized that the party needs to attract new voters (and even win back a few former party-faithful). Whatever the reason, the RPM seems to be listening and engaging at this year's Great Minnesota Get-Together.

We found SD44's favorite son, Jeff Johnson, meeting and greeting folks at his Jeff Johnson for Governor booth on Underwood Street east of the Grandstand. Jeff is competing in a strong field of candidates for the endorsement of the RPM to challenge Gov. Dayton next year. An often lone conservative vote on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, Jeff could be the candidate most likely to win and work with both parties to move Minnesota forward in a long-term, sustainable fashion.

Jeff Johnson announces run for governor

 
Jeff Johnson's choice of a venue to announce his run for Minnesota governor may have been a preview of his statewide appeal. The Hamel Community Building, located through a twist of local history in the city of Medina, is steps away from Medina's small-town main street, cornfields, the Inn Kahoots bar, and the picturesque Church of St. Anne.

Johnson is known as a former three-term member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and current Hennepin County Commissioner. As Republican National Committeeman since 2011, Johnson has gained national party experience. Yet his roots are in Detroit Lakes, where he grew up, and Moorhead, where he graduated from Concordia College. His wife Sondi is a native of Crookston. After receiving his degree from Georgetown Law School, he worked in Chicago before moving to the Twin Cities to work for Cargill and then open his own employment law practice.

About two hundred supporters and media packed the room at Sunday's announcement. Johnson stressed three priorities and two reasons why he makes the best Republican candidate for governor. Johnson's vision for jobs is that Minnesota will actually be the best state in the upper Midwest to start or expand a business. He would "give all parents the option of sending their kids to a great school." To make state government more effective, Johnson promised to undertake a "line-by-line, top-to-bottom audit" of state programs, to "celebrate and bolster" the ones that can demonstrate success, and eliminate those that cannot.

Speaking to the Republican base that will eventually vote to endorse their gubernatorial candidate, Johnson claimed that his appeal extends beyond the Republican party, making him the most electable of the party's eventual field. He also said that his record in the Minnesota House and on the county board demonstrates that he has the ability and integrity to actually follow through on his campaign promises around tax reform, public safety, and business climate. His Hennepin County Watchdog blog shows how a conservative can tilt against an unending parade of ineffective and extravagant programs, like an extra $14 million to turn the new Lowry Avenue bridge into a "signature" bridge.

Although it was Johnson's first official gubernatorial campaign event, it didn't look like it. The venue was professionally set up for the media and guests, including a stage, backdrop draping, and camera-friendly sight lines and lighting. Campaign signage and stickers, t-shirts, check. Mini-war room with website and social media humming, thanks to volunteer all-nighters so it would be ready for Sunday, check. Media notified, hardcopy press releases at the venue, candidate media availability, check. Greeters at the door and sign-up table for donors and volunteers, check. Oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies, bottled water, check.

Clad in red campaign t-shirts, activists in Johnson's past campaigns and other local Republican campaigns were busy in their appointed roles. Bloggers Walter Hudson and Craig Westover, and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff David Gaither, Rep. Jerry Hertaus (R-Greenfield) were seen in the audience.

Gubernatorial hopefuls meet at SD43 picnic

Gubernatorial hopefuls at SD43 picnic with Rep. Sarah Anderson (center, holding microphone). Photo: SD43

Monday evening, six hopefuls for the Minnesota GOP endorsement for governor broke bread, gave stump speeches, and answered questions in Plymouth on their statewide tour of Republican summer picnics. According to the SD43 Republicans, about 250 gathered at picnic tables and lawn chairs, around a shelter decorated with red, white, and blue bunting, to hear the candidates, gossip about politics over barbecue sandwiches, and watch the kids play nearby.

Die-hard conservatives won't have just one candidate to line up behind, as in 2002 with west metro favorite son Brian Sullivan, or Sue Jeffers in 2006, we will have to choose from several dedicated, well-spoken, proven public servants (maybe we can send two of them into the general election —as governor and lieutenant governor, that is?).

Some of the stars of the minority caucuses in the state Senate and House, and a star of the Pawlenty administration, appeared at the picnic: former minority leader Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), third-term Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano), former assistant minority leader Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), and former state auditor Pat Anderson.

Seifert proved his mettle as House minority leader again this session, effectively holding his caucus together and working with Governor Pawlenty. Hann is a stalwart, principled conservative. Emmer's no-nonsense, forceful "gimme a break" style would serve him well in campaign debates and negotiations with the legislature. Anderson has a proven record of reform as state auditor and commissioner of Employee Relations, which she merged into the Department of Finance (thereby shrinking government and eliminating her own job). All have unquestionable conservative reform records.

Also stumping in Plymouth for the endorsement were Sen. Mike Jungbauer (R-East Bethel), former Rep. Bill Haas, and Phil Herwig. Compared to the previous candidates, they are at a disadvantage in name recognition, experience, and star power to get endorsed and elected.

From now until the endorsement, there are going to be many of these events happening around the state (see the True North calendar for details). I encourage you to attend. They are lots of fun, and enable you to effectively put that post-TEA Party energy into winning hearts, minds, and elections.

Picnic table notes

I had the good fortune of sharing a picnic table with Glenn Ray, one of the proprietors of the Minnesota Prager Discussion Group blog, which is widely followed among Minnesota conservatives. Ray is an outspoken, thoughtful old gent (I mean that as a compliment!) with cogent political and ideological insights: think a west metro Craig Westover. He provided a running commentary to me during the stump speeches and Q&A; it would have made a great liveblog.

Visiting from SD33 were Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) and Rep. Connie Doepke (R-Orono) (pronounced DEP-key: the "O" is silent). Before I got in line for the dinner buffet, I learned from Doepke how the Republicans in the Legislature executed a successful minority strategy, while the DFL majority was frequently at intramural loggerheads thanks to Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller. Doepke also warned that next session, the DFL will have a strategy for Gov. Pawlenty's 2009 unallotment gambit. ("Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.")

Pat Anderson must have been on her way to another important event, because she left the picnic after delivering her speech, and she was wearing a striking gubernatorial power suit with some snazzy heels, not unlike another certain female, former suburban mayor, state commissioner, and cold-weather state governor we know!

After the candidates spoke, I looked for the sign-up table or booth run by Big Insurance, Big Pharama, or other "special interest groups" for town hall meeting disruption actions. I am tiring of showing up to protests as an unpaid concerned citizen, and am looking to make some extra money to help pay for TARP, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Cash for Clunkers, cap-and-trade, and federal health insurance reform (that is, in addition to Medicaid, Medicare, state Medical Assistance, state General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), MinnesotaCare, and Hennepin County's various medical assistance programs, which I am already paying for!). When I asked around to see if anyone else was getting paid to be an "astroturf" protester, I was told I would have to "join a union."