Adam was nine years old with a diagnosis of autism. Some people didn’t understand Adam’s lack of eye contact and social awkwardness. Two of his classmates began to bully him. At first they called him names, “weirdo” and mimicked how he walked. It escalated into shoving and tripping, usually at lunch when adults weren’t watching. This went ...

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Saying that “cuts to special education would create significant funding gaps that would force school districts to shift funds from general education programs, increase class sizes, or raise property taxes, just to maintain their current levels of special education services,” Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed the K-12 Education Finance Omnibus Bill, (HF 934) May 24. Dayton ...

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Despite a $6 billion state deficit that was reduced to $2.7 billion at the close of the Minnesota's 2009 legislative session, special education held its own for funding and even made some gains in the policy arena, most notably with the passage of the state's first law concerning restraint and seclusion. Funding Special education regular aid was ...

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It was a rocky road for both the education policy and budget bills during the 2008 session of the Minnesota Legislature on May 13. Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the E-12 Education Policy Bill. That action was followed three days later by the veto of the E-12 Omnibus Education Budget Bill. However, legislators were able to ...

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On May 21st, just before the midnight deadline, the big education bill squeaked through the legislature. The contents of the bill, the E-12 (Early Childhood through Grade 12) Education Omnibus bill, remained somewhat of a mystery up until the last moment; three weeks of closed door sessions left much of the public, lobbyists and even ...

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