Minnesota Lawyer
Rep. Randy Demmer
The state House has voted by a 68-65 margin to reject an amendment to the K-12 education bill that would have permitted alternative teacher certification. Supporters of the proposal believe it could help close the achievement gap for minority students by allowing non-traditional licensing programs such as Teach for America into the state’s public schools.
The proposal had bipartisan support, but was strongly opposed by Education Minnesota, the state’s largest labor union. “We know there’s some extraordinary pressure on some folks to hang on to the status quo,” said Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, during the floor debate.
Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield, offered the alternative licensure amendment and most Republicans voted in favor of it. There were, however, a few exceptions: Reps. Dean Urdahl (Grove City), Greg Davids (Preston) and Tony Cornish (Good Thunder) were among those opposing the proposal.
Democrats were split on the amendment. Rep. Linda Slocum, a teacher at Field Middle School in Minneapolis, spoke in favor of it. “I’m totally pro-union, but I really like this bill,” said the Richfield Democrat.
But Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township, argued forcefully against adoption. “We starved the schools of Minnesota for 20 years,” he said. “It’s no wonder we have an achievement gap.”
