Who really makes education policy in school districts?
We had a delightful time with Annette Meeks, of the Freedom Foundation, today who discussed:” Who really makes education policy in school districts?” Listeners were interested to know the history of Depts. of Education from 1890 with only 2 employees. As elections to school boards began in the 60 and 70’s politicization of boards began and Unions (looking for protection from all the entities telling them how to run schools) pushed for a US Dept. of Education. After the NEA endorsed their first Presidential candidate in 1976, Jimmy Carter, they succeeded two years later to overcome opposition and have the US Dept. of Ed established. This empowered Unions tremendously. In 2016 alone Unions spent $2.7 Million lobbying and collected $27 M in dues, not to mention all the campaigns they donate to (almost all supporting Democrats). Meeks feels the end is near of Union dominance of school board policy because teachers are tired of it. In addition, parents often feel schools don’t fit their needs and are moving their kids to charter, private and home schooling. The one size fits all approach will fail in years to come allowing for increased freedom of choice for all parents and students. We appreciate Annette’s knowledge on this subject very much.
You’re invited – Sat. May 6, 2017 from 9 – 11:00 am
Lake Elmo Inn, RSVP by Thurs May 4, 2017
Speaker: Annette Meeks, Founder and CEO of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota – “The size of the federal government has exploded over the last century. If we believe that the size and scope of state and federal government has grown too large, how do we begin downsizing it?”
To reserve contact: Brian at: 612-462-2163 or email him at: [email protected]
Cost: $20. non-member; $16. members and $10. Students. Join for the year: $25 and it will pay off in 5 meetings.
Each attendee will be eligible for the drawing for a door prize!
We had an interesting and fun morning today hearing from Sen. Karin Housley, Rep. Keith Franke and Rep. Tony Jurgens. It was an insiders view of the Legislature. Sen. Housley explained how busy they are in the Senate this session and happy to be ahead of schedule. She loves chairing the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy committee. Did you know that by 2020 there will be 20 senior citizens for every 1 adult in MN? Rep. Franke was excited to talk about some of the 9 bills he has authored including one to create a strategic plan to reduce HIV/AIDs and another making terrorism a crime in MN. Rep. Jurgens district covers parts of two Counties. One of his big issues this year has been a safety and speed limit issue on Hwy 61 and 316 in Hastings that was in the news as he challenged MNDOT not to raise the speed limit until safety concerns were addressed. We enjoyed getting to know these Legislators better and are proud of their service in the MN Legislature. Thanks so much!