Exciting new possibilities, but do we have the will?

A DFL legislator finds much to like in Republican governor's plan for
high schools.

http://www.startribune.com/562/story/1021869.html

Lori Sturdevant
Star Tribune

Rep. Carlos Mariani-Rosa knows that when a DFL education committee
chair goes public with support for a pet proposal of Republican Gov.
Tim Pawlenty, he's engaging in risky behavior.

So be it, Mariani-Rosa says. "I've learned after being here for 16
years that if you're not getting into trouble once in a while, you're
not doing the stuff you should be doing."

Here comes trouble: Mariani-Rosa thinks Pawlenty is right to call for
a radical redesign of Minnesota high schools. He likes the governor's
willingness to put $75 million on the table for high schools that
agree in the next two years to develop courses with more academic
rigor, workplace relevance or both.

He'll also be the chief House sponsor of a bill that would reward
low-income high school students who successfully complete college-prep
classes with scholarships, to be redeemed at any Minnesota college or
university, public or private. That's the Minnesota Private College
Council's variation on a Pawlenty proposal to reward with scholarships
the high school students who take college-level classes.

Why? Because, as executive director of the Minnesota Minority
Education Partnership, he can recite the achievement gap numbers.
Students of color in Minnesota score below their white counterparts on
standardized tests; graduate from high school in smaller proportion,
and go on to college at a lower rate. His collaborative's website,
www.mmep.org, reports the depressing details.

And as the father of three, Mariani-Rosa knows faces behind the
numbers. He's acquainted with teenagers who are bright, energetic and
eager for all life has to offer, "but they just don't get school.
There's no spark there. They think school is for someone else."

Someone white?

"You can't talk about education without talking about race,"
Mariani-Rosa said. Minnesota educators have known for decades that
they aren't reaching enough young people of color. They've known for
years that those children bring to learning an array of needs and
challenges that differ from those of white kids. "Why aren't we
competent by now in lighting the fire in them?"

He found common cause with the governor when Pawlenty began talking
about reforming high schools to reach students who are merely marking
time. Giving educators financial incentive to remake the high school
experience, and giving students financial incentive to put themselves
on a college track, strike a chord with both the DFL representative
from St. Paul and the Republican governor from Eagan.

Fact is, these aren't particularly controversial notions. Yet there's
a rub to them: New ideas that make new demands on the state budget
face heavy competition from old ideas that are not adequately funded
now -- things like a quality K-12 public education, in every school
district, for all children, including those with special needs. And
the notion that public state colleges and universities ought to get a
sizable share of their resources from taxpayers.

Those ideas have served this state long and well. They are defended by
a phalanx of lobbyists, who make a strong case for a funding surge
this session. The 2 percent per year increase that Pawlenty's budget
offers school districts would put many of them back into layoff mode.
The University of Minnesota can't achieve its world-class ambitions
with a state appropriation increase that won't cover a decent
cost-of-living raise for its faculty. MnSCU is pointing out to
legislators that it's operating with less state money per student
(after adjusting for inflation) than it did in 2000.

"The tragedy of this session is that the good, innovative stuff won't
get the level of vetting it should, because we have such anxiety about
base funding," said Mariani-Rosa. "It's hard to focus on exciting new
possibilities when we're still not adequately funding special ed," the
exciting new idea of the 1957 session.

It doesn't have to be that way. Mariani-Rosa says he'll be one member
of the new House majority who will insist that Minnesota can have it
all -- enough teachers and guidance counselors, faculty salary
increases, new high school curricula and new scholarships for
low-income kids. "This state has the resources to develop a
world-class education system," he said. "All we lack is the political
will."

By my count, there's one House vote for a tax increase for education.
Overriding a veto will take only 89 more.