Education funding bill would pay for training on literacy programs

Minnesota teachers tasked with learning a new way to teach children to read could see some extra pay if they have to spend time outside of school on literacy trainings.

The education finance bill passed by the House Tuesday includes nearly $31.4 million to pay teachers for their time learning, or school districts can use the money to pay for substitutes if teachers are trained during school hours.

The state's Read Act, passed last year, required school districts to adopt a literacy plan from a set of programs that reflect a greater emphasis on phonics amid growing concern about how many students are not able to read at grade level. The Read Act paid for the curriculum, but did not include funding for the time it will take teachers to get trained on the new materials.

During floor sessions and in news conferences this year, Republican legislators have been drawing attention to what they describe as unfunded mandates passed last year, including the new literacy standards.

Earlier this spring, Republicans raised the issue of how long it could take to train teachers on those new curriculum, and in a news conference proposed a three-year delay on the Read Act going into effect.

"There's so much coming at them, especially our small schools just don't have the bandwidth," Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, said last month.

"Even with the extra money that has been offered by the majority party, it is still not enough to address this foundational issue," said Rep. Patricia Mueller, R-Austin, said on the House floor this week.

The Senate education finance bill is awaiting a floor vote.

Democrats pushed back during a news conference ahead of the House vote Tuesday, saying they wanted to see higher statewide standards, even if it meant placing requirements on school districts.

"Mandate relief sounds great on a bumper sticker," the bill's sponsor, Rep. Cheryl Youakim, DFL-Hopkins, said during a news conference Tuesday. "But our kids deserve better than bumper-sticker politics."