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March 31, 2004
Growth & Justice "Workforce First" event tomorrow!
Growth & Justice, a new think tank devoted to making Minnesota's economy more prosperous, fair and sustainable will be hosting a briefing / discussion of their latest report, Workforce First. Executive Director, Joel Kramer, will provide an overview of the report and there will be time for questions and discussion of the policy proposals.
Date/Time:
Thursday, April 1st
8:00 - 9:30a.m.
At Growth & Justice
Registration:
RSVP to Lori Schaefer, Associate Director of Growth & Justice, at 612-872-1460 or lori@growthandjustice.org
Location:
Growth & Justice
2104 Stevens Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Workforce First addresses one of the most important economic issues currently facing Minnesota - how to increase the number of low-income workers who can support their families on their income. It is the culmination of more than nine months of research and roundtable discussions involving policy experts and economists, as well as citizens from business, labor, government, nonprofits, and academia. The Workforce First report concludes that by far the best form of economic development for Minnesota is educational attainment and job skills development. It offers a series of policy proposals in the areas of education, training and tax credits.
Parking:
You can usually find a parking space on Stevens Ave. in front of our building. If street parking is full, you can park in the Ramar Parking lot, which is on Stevens Ave. on the right hand side of the street just before you reach Franklin Ave.
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 10:47 AM | TrackBack
March 30, 2004
Mind Opener Photo Gallery
Robert Bruininks, President, University of Minnesota, presented to a full house at today's Mind Opener. His topic: Higher Education in the 21st Century: The U of M's Role.
See the entire gallery of photos from the Mind-Opener.
Posted by Griff Wigley at 03:07 PM | TrackBack
March 25, 2004
March 2004 Minnesota Journal features new fiscal disparities research
New fiscal disparities research by the Citizens League, groups all cities and towns in the Metropolitan area by two different Met Council planning maps in order to take a look at whether fiscal disparities currently supports regional planning.
Support of regional planning is one of the two basic purposes of fiscal disparities (the first being fiscal equity).
The findings question whether the current tax base transfer to the rural residential edge of the metropolitan area is supportive of regional planning. The data suggests that it is time for policymakers to assess fiscal disparities in light of the next 30 years of regional development.
Read the article in this month's Minnesota Journal, and look at the following Met Council maps online:
Met Council map on comprehensive plans
Met Council 2030 Framework Planning Areas
The published edition of the Minnesota Journal retains the tables that have been published every year and the new data is summarized in two small tables. For the full sets of data for this year's analysis, pair the following tables with the appropriate Met Council map.
Fiscal Disparities Participants Grouped by Comprehensive Plan
Fiscal Disparities Participants Grouped by 2030 Framework Planning Areas
If you are looking for a more basic understanding of fiscal disparities, look at the following summary from the House Research Department or their more in-depth report on the fiscal disparities program.
For a short history and perspective on fiscal disparities, read Phil Jenni's piece from 2002, "It's a miracle: Minnesota's tax base sharing law survives 30 years."
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 01:46 PM | TrackBack
Star Tribune wildly misrepresents League research
Today's Star Tribune story on fiscal disparities does not accurately portray the work presented in the March issue of the Minnesota Journal. The headlines and subheads are unbelievably off the mark.
* Nowhere in the research do we "pan" the program.
* Nowhere in the research do we make any recommendations, except to ask policymakers to take a new look at fiscal disparities in light of the expected changes in the region over the next 30 years.
The League research raises questions about the use of 4% of the distribution of funds as not supporting regional growth policies of the Met Council. The article distorts this to be "much" of the distribution.
How it was determined that we are "abashed" (ashamed) of the program is beyond the comprehension of staff, and the facts of the research we just completed.
Fiscal disparities would be strengthened, and should be strengthened, by ensuring that the distribution of funds meets the intent of the program: to promote tax base equity, and regional planning goals.
Here are some excerpts of what the League did say about fiscal disparities in the Minnesota Journal:
"After three decades of regional tax base sharing through the fiscal disparities program, the Twin Cities area is full of economically strong suburban cities with
diverse tax bases."
"As tax base is distributed for the 30th year in 2004, it would be difficult to find any other government program or policy that has stood the test of time with little if any change, as has fiscal disparities. The entire region is a 'winner' in the strong regional economy that fiscal disparities undoubtedly helped to create."
"In 1971, the base year for fiscal disparities calculations, Minneapolis and St. Paul accounted for 48 percent of the C/I tax base that started the tax-base sharing pool. By 1998, the core cities accounted for 26 percent of the C/I tax base, while the developing ring accounted for 45 percent. The 'investment' of the urban core’s tax base has yielded an excellent 'return' from the developed and developing suburbs. That kind of dynamic will probably not occur again. Now that the region has entered a new stage of development, perhaps today’s
'investment' should look for a different type of return. It is time for policymakers to assess how fiscal disparities can best meet its original purpose through 2030 and beyond."
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 09:29 AM | TrackBack
March 24, 2004
Pioneer Press coverage of fiscal disparities clarified
The article in today's Pioneer Press states that the League has recommended that fiscal disparities be changed. The League has not considered any potential policy changes to fiscal disparities.
What is urged in this month's Minnesota Journal is that policymakers take a closer look at fiscal disparities based on new data that groups cities and towns by Met Council planning maps. Since one of the two basic purposes of fiscal disparities is to support regional planning, the data from these groupings provides an appropriate tool for policymakers to consider possible changes.
Any potential for policy changes in fiscal disparities, however, needs to be discussed in the broad context of how fiscal disparities can and should support regional planning over the next 30 years and cannot ignore the fiscal equity that fiscal disparities continues to provide. The most recent work by the Citizens League is an effort to begin that discussion.
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 03:30 PM | TrackBack
2004 Public Affairs Directory Now Available for Purchase
As you know, the Citizens League's Public Affairs Directory is purchased and used by individuals, organizations and government agencies as a ready reference. Historically, we have seen that almost a third of the information changes each year that is not an election year. With all of these changes in state government, be sure to have the latest information!
To order your 2004 PAD, call Trudy at (612)338-0791, ext. 11 or print out and mail/fax us an order form.
Posted by Will Goldstein at 02:40 PM | TrackBack
March 22, 2004
March MN Journal now available
The March issue of MN Journal is now available.
Back issues are always available on the MN Journal section of the site.
Posted by Griff Wigley at 02:19 PM | TrackBack
League receives membership matching grant!
The Pohlad Family Foundation has generously agreed to provide the Citizens League with a $5000 matching grant to support our new membership campaign!
Stay tuned for more information, but these funds will be used to match new member dues to the League between now and the end of August.
This is a great incentive to encourage new members to join the League! We will have more announcements on this soon!
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 08:33 AM | TrackBack
The facts and 'doing the common good better'
From the "League is needed now more than ever" file: a great (and very honest) quote from David Strom in last week's Strib profile that highlights the need and niche for the Citizens League. David said:
"It's not really the role of the (Taxpayer's) League to paint a complete picture or tell the whole story. We're an advocacy organization and we tell our side of the story. There are plenty of groups on the left who tell their side."
Good policy-making does not take place in an environment dominated by this philosophy from either extreme of the political or issue spectrum.
As the Citizens League advocates for good ideas, the first step is being fair and accurate with information and facts. We will strive to paint a complete picture and tell the whole story. We are focusing our attention on helping to frame issues and providing the full information to citizens.
Citizens and policy leaders are desperate for good information, and our common interest is not served by shading the truth. The superhero on the cover of our new business plan was intentional. Who will 'rescue' the common good from short-term interests, special interests, and narrow ideologies?
Extremism in the name of the common good? It may not be possible.
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 08:06 AM | TrackBack
March 03, 2004
Quantifying the Costs of Education
Last week, three reports were released that attempt to provide new insight into the financing of K-12 education in Minnesota. These reports provide some tools to further understand what is probably Minnesota’s most important and complicated public finance system. The good information in these reports also brings up some good questions.
"Financial Trends of Minnesota School Districts” [online]
Office of the State Auditor
"Determining the Cost of an Adequate Education in Minnesota" [online]
Center for Public Finance Research
"No Child Left Behind” [online]
Office of the Legislative Auditor
The most provocative of the three is “Determining the Cost of an Adequate Education in Minnesota” by the Center for Public Finance Research. “Adequacy” is defined as the achievement of certain state test score standards. An advanced statistical and linear programming technique called Data Envelopment Analysis is used to examine how the cost to achieve these standards varies among school districts and what the implications are for Minnesota’s education finance system.
The report concludes that Minnesota provided sufficient resources to support an “adequate” education in most school districts, but finds that some districts were over-compensated for environmental costs (i.e. poverty, special education, etc.) and some were under-compensated. The report proposes major simplification of the existing education aid system by eliminating individual compensatory aid programs and replacing them with a single “adequacy aid” that controls for efficiency and compensates for environmental costs. The data suggests that if such a system were in place, it would have amounted to a shift of approximately $200 million within school districts throughout the state in 2002.
The most problematic finding in the report is that “higher spending for teachers with many years experience and advanced degrees is often not justified by commensurate improvement in educational outcomes and test scores.” The report correlates this with “district inefficiency.”
How should we expect teacher experience and expertise to be expressed and assessed in our schools? The ‘adequacy’ standard (meeting minimum requirements through standardized testing) is a low standard in terms of student achievement, and it could be argued that the added value of greater experience and expertise is largely applied above that standard and may not, therefore, be expressed in this analysis.
Since a teacher with an advanced degree and many years of experience commands a higher salary, how could we increase efficient use of their skills? In the private sector, one might expect that increasing salary and experience coincides with greater responsibility and greater authority to devise the most efficient way to achieve an outcome. But in K-12 education, how much authority and flexibility does an experienced teacher have? And how much is guided by requirements for standardized testing and other mandates?
Hence we have a conundrum: How do we assign value to advanced skills in the context of an emphasis on minimum standards?
The other question is: can we fund the system enough, so that even the highest risk students will achieve standards of adequacy? The report acknowledges that these costs could be prohibitive and that alternative strategies and deliveries are likely to be necessary.
For the first time, the Office of the State Auditor, has compiled school district data in much the same way that it has reported city, county and township data over the years. The data, from 1999-2003, shows that while enrollment remained flat, revenues rose more than twice the rate of inflation, mainly due to instruction and special education costs. The reimbursement formula for special education is harming districts that have growing special education enrollment or costs. The formula is based on the costs from two-years prior. If a district’s special education enrollment or costs are rising, there is a two-year lag on the financing of those costs. Students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) were another factor, increasing by 60 percent over the five-year period.
These two reports must also be viewed within the demands that will be placed on school districts to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Legislative Auditor finds it likely that most schools will not be able to meet the goals and will possibly face expensive sanctions in future years.
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 02:53 PM | TrackBack
This Month in League History
Just a note that a new March edition of This Month in League History has been posted.
We'd love to hear your comments! Please contact us with any ideas or suggestions for stories you'd like to see up on the site.
Posted by Will Goldstein at 02:22 PM | TrackBack
What Children Need to Succeed
The Minneapolis Club has invited the University of Minnesota to host a series of conversations on the healthy development of Minnesota's children, youth and families. This is a great tie-in to the League's work on mental health, graduation rates, and even higher education.
On Wednesday March 10th at noon, Dr. Susan Hagstrum, will begin the series. Dr. Hagstrum has 27 years of experience in preschool-12 issues, and chairs the U's Center of Excellence in Children's Mental Health. (Dr. Hagstrum is also the wife of U of M President Bruininks.)
This conversation will focus on working families as the foundation of child well-being, and is open to the public.
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 07:41 AM | TrackBack
March 01, 2004
Save $75, and attend a great event! The Changemakers and Business Leadership
The Citizens League has arranged for discounted attendance for all active League members to attend the upcoming ChangeMakers event on March 10th. You may have seen the The ChangeMakers: Building a Great State Through Business Leadership brochure and/or advertisements in The Business Journal these past couple weeks.
The evening will feature a reception and dinner followed by a panel of Minnesota leaders discussing Minnesota’s most important economic assets, our need to build cohesive vision, and the role of business in building and enhancing the state. Panelists include: Robert Bruininks, President, University of Minnesota; Jim Campbell, Chair, Itasca Project and Former CEO of Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota; Michael Gorman, Managing General Partner, St. Paul Venture Capital; Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Charlie Weaver, Executive Director, Minnesota Business Partnership.
The League has arranged with The Collaborative (who is hosting the event) for its members to register for the dinner event at the Minneapolis Hilton for only $25 (75% off). To sign up, you can click here. When registering, type "Citizens League" after your name.
We hope to see you there!
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 06:41 AM | TrackBack
Praise for MN Mental Health Action Group
Great praise, and great commentary on the current mental health system, from the Star Tribune Editorial Board (Action at last/Hope for mental health care) for the work of the MN Mental Health Action Group.
The League played a 'convening' role in this effort. Gary Cunningham, our most recent Board Chair, Co-Chaired this group with Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno. Both of them, along with the entire Steering Committee, deserve credit for the success so far. Participation through the Action Teams numbered in the hundreds.
Stay tuned for next steps by signing up for the weblog digest on the MMHAG home page.
As the editorial says, this was a somewhat new venture for the League -- focused on implemeting work that has already been done, including our own, not just new analysis and study.