Monday, May 9 - Day of Advocacy Full Funding of Special Education

Parents, community organizations, school board members and district officials from across Minnesota will be participating in a day of advocacy to push lawmakers and Governor Walz to fully fund special education. Monday, May 9th we will gather at the State Capitol and online to urge lawmakers to use 9% of the state surplus to fully fund special education. 

In Person - The State Capitol is open to the public and we plan on gathering on Monday, May 9th. Committee and legislators' schedules are a bit fluid this time of session. We have a tentative schedule of events for the day but will update the group when Monday's schedule is announced. We are asking those who plan on attending to do two things: 

1. Wear RED. We will be sporting the color red to help lawmakers know that we are there to support full funding for special education. Red for Sped! 

2. Set up meetings with your State Representative and State Senator before Monday. Ask to meet about the need for the legislature to fully fund special education. You can find their contact information here - https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/

3. Please also stop by the Governor's office in the Capitol. Leave a note asking the Governor to fully fund special education.
*Key messages are below.

While the legislative schedule has not yet come out for Monday, May 9th, there is a good chance that the House-Senate Education Conference Committee will be meeting from 9am to noon in Room 1100 of the Senate Office Building. This would be a great place for people to gather and fill the room with supporters in red. We should have a better idea of Monday's schedule by Friday. I will send an update. Education organizations are also holding a 1pm press conference that you may watch in the L'etoile du Nord meeting room in the basement of the State Capitol.  

A number of parent groups are planning on attending. You are welcome to join the activities. I will be running between the Senate Office Building where conference committee is being held and the L'etoile du Nord room in the Capitol. Here is the schedule the parent groups are following:

10:30 - Welcome at L’Etoile Du Nord Room (lower level beneath the Rotunda in the State Capitol) 

10:50 - Walk over to conference committee hearing in the Senate Office Building (pending - If there is a floor session or a conference committee meeting, we will attend en masse. If there are no floor session or committee meetings, we will provide some training on engaging with legislators and help people set up individual legislator meetings) 

11:00 - 12:00 Attend conference committee (pending) 

12:00 - 1:00 Legislator meetings and lunch on your own. No conference committees meet from 12 to 1 so this may be a good time to meet with legislators. Assistance will be available if you need any help contacting them. Lunch is available at the Ratskeller in the basement of the Capitol, at the Transportation Building Cafeteria, or off site. 

1:00 - 1:15 Press Conference - Please note that there is room for 32 people in the press room. Others can gather in L'Etoile du Nord room to watch.  

1:15 - Additional legislator meetings as planned 

Getting to the Capitol - 75 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155 

Public parking is available on the street, in the Transportation Building parking lot (Ramp F) and in the surface lot marked AA on the corner of Aurora Ave and Rice Street - see this map for more details: https://mn.gov/bms-stat/assets/capitol_complex.pdf 

 

Virtual Advocacy - If you cannot attend in person, you may still advocate.  

1. Watch the Monday, May 9, 1pm press conference live - https://www.amsd.org/livestream

2. Contact Governor Walz - https://mn.gov/governor/contact/  

3. Contact your State Representative and State Senator - https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/

Key Messages

The underfunding of special education impacts all students. Share with legislators your experience with your child's school's lack of adequate funding. The state has an historic state budget surplus, $9.25 billion. This is the moment in time to address the underfunding of special education. Just 9% of the state budget surplus would fully fund special education. Here is where the House, Senate and Governor's supplemental budget recommendation currently stand relative to the total underfunding of special education:

MPS receives $52 million less than we spend on special education. That equates to more than $1600 per pupil. MPS also shoulders the special education costs for Minneapolis residents who attend charter schools or open enroll into neighboring districts. This is called tuition billing and comprises 40% of the district's total special education underfunding.

 

**To sign up for MPS Parent Legislative Action Committee emails go to: https://mpls.k12.mn.us/parent_legislative_action_committee