DeKruif's Education Bill Advocates for District Collaboration

Sen. Al DeKruif (R-District 25) wants to see more cooperation among school districts, partly, he says, because it could go a long way in saving dollars.

A bill authored by DeKruif would establish a pilot program that asks groups of three or more school districts to propose collaborative projects. In exchange, the state would exempt participating institutions from certain regulations by reclassifying them as charter schools. The pilot would authorize six projects starting with the 2011 school year and last four years.

DeKruif believes that relaxed state oversight will lead to locally led educational innovation.

“We have groups of teachers and administrators and school boards that have some ideas that they would love to try and implement,” he said. “I want the school districts that participate to show us in St. Paul how to get it done.”

Last week, the bill passed through the Education Committee and it received a second reading Tuesday on the Senate floor.

Supporters hope that the bill will spur creativity with the promise of administrative and pedagogical freedom.

“This bill forces districts and schools to think beyond just doing something on their own,” said Charlie Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators and former superintendent of the Northfield School District.

Proponents say the Rice County Day Treatment, which has special education and mental health programs, demonstrates how beneficial multi-district partnerships can be. The Northfield and Faribault school districts run the RCDT along with Rice County Social Services.

“Neither district is large enough to run a program like that on its own, but because we've come together, we've been able to put together the staff to do it,” said Northfield Superintendent Chris Richardson.

The bill’s advocates insist that cross-district collaboration is still too inconvenient. Kyte and DeKruif agree that government regulation has stifled the impulse to reform schools.

“Joint partnerships between schools are complex and it’s difficult to bring districts together. It takes a lot of effort to just get them going,” Kyte said.

DeKruif said trying to find new ways to educate kids better is nothing new, but it's difficult because of restrictions in place.

Kyte said that administrators’ discussions about reform often turn to into discussions about the regulations that would inevitably block their path.

“What we're trying to do is say let’s not worry about the rules,” said Kyte.

But others question whether this red tape has really sealed the box inside of which educators reputedly operate.

“I'm looking for detail about the mandates that we’ll be relieved of,” Richardson said.

Northfield School Board Chair Kari Nelson, agreed, saying the proposed bill left her “puzzled."

“I don't really understand the problem that this legislation is fixing,” she said. “We collaborate where it makes good sense to collaborate already. We seek out those opportunities.”

Some also worry that the bill’s language, which would treat pilot institutions as charter schools, does not substantively increase schools’ ability to make reforms. A recent Minnesota crackdown has increased accountability and decreased curricular freedom at charter schools, and they must have licensed staff, administer standardized tests and submit to close government supervision.

The more rigorous process has already been experienced in Northfield when last winter the district was initially denied to continue as an authorizor for the and . After submitting a 300-page application, the district was informed by the Minnesota Department of Education that it needed more details. A few weeks later, the , which Northfield Patch was the first report.

For all of the ambiguity of this bill, though, officials support its philosophy, which holds that we should take local educators’ ideas for reform seriously.

“I can definitely support it in principle but I'd like more detail,” Richardson said. “It’s obviously a good first step.”