[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6625179,"mediaKeyId","2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606","parentId",2762631,"title","Senate panel lays over bill that defines \"hours of instruction\" to expand flexible, student-centered learning (Senate File 2250)","audioSeconds",4110,"startMs",4117000,"endMs",6562,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606&start=4117&end=6","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606/thumbnail_4117000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6625179/Minnesota/Senate-panel-lays-over-bill-that-defines-hours-of-instruction-to-expand-flexible-student-centered-learning-Senate-File-2250","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625179-d36df926a35d7a18ae4b6c0a156347f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770679289&Signature=SkPWAuyJ2jW8yklX0UwOhBCArg0iO5ndCqmlU3PLE2IdfUZ7xEDtcBSJYZLDDkxjB74cs5qDrfPO21GaLyNIAXt7Hsk889hNaNdcH6iAcC~GB4BWRjEminrEnt~UWjibg2hLNsnNtmodO7wZg9Z3vlVUtQ3YjSxulxCaGXBmHsPStnhPXZ2JKYuP6JxkU7IU0WhXhYYAX9T9B~~MiTMKHnp9ZkKZImZeQ1NBF7scJ0N8dTx-Hb~sm-4ib6GErWwRklbBqFMh4g43soA46~9GINxrBmERIyH8OOMlgpnAU3-i9iJTyIrPBlKRG58RZFJ7GQXCqYtIpUbD5oR9c2RGAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-03-25T15:13:53.41Z","article","Senate File 2250, a bill to define \"hours of instruction\" in Minnesota statute and protect district flexibility to count supervised, credited educational experiences beyond traditional seat time, was introduced and laid over by the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee on Dec. 25, 2025.

Sponsor Senator Kunish said the term \"hours of instruction\" appears in eight separate chapters of state education code but is not defined in statute. The bill would explicitly define instructional hours for secondary schools to include a broad set of \"educational experiences\" (for example, internships, project-based learning, service learning and supervised community-based learning) that allow students to earn academic credit, are available to all students, and are supervised, coordinated and verified by a qualified teacher. The bill would not change pupil unit funding or allow experiences outside the normal school year.

Testifiers included superintendents, high school principals and teachers describing how flexibility has improved engagement and outcomes. Patrick Walsh, a longtime administrator, said the bill \"provides much clarity to the districts as a framework, to innovate and develop courses of study\" and is particularly important for rural and charter schools. Jeff Palicki, principal at Shakopee High School, described capstone and community partnership experiences and said the bill would \"empower districts with the flexibility to design learning experiences that best meet the needs of their students.\"

Students and youth advocates also testified. Julian Spencer, a North Minneapolis graduate involved with an initiative called Good Trouble, told the committee that allowing internships and apprenticeships to count as instructional time could keep disengaged students in school. A student from Exploration High School described earning credit for learning that took place outside the traditional school day.

Supporters and district leaders emphasized that the bill would not mandate changes for districts that prefer traditional scheduling; instead, it provides a statutory definition to reduce inconsistencies and allow districts to innovate. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill; no final vote was taken at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Education Finance - 03/25/25","oneSentenceSummary","Senate File 2250, which would statutorily define \"hours of instruction\" to allow supervised, credited experiences beyond traditional seat time, was presented and laid over by the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee on Dec. 25, 2025.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6625184,"Senate file to align referendum reauthorization dates for consolidated districts laid over",180,3874000,4054000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606&start=3874&end=4054","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606/thumbnail_3874000.jpg","/articles/6625184/Minnesota/Senate-file-to-align-referendum-reauthorization-dates-for-consolidated-districts-laid-over","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625184-039229e56ae8956f4bfa9b892c1d1c42/orig.mp4?Expires=1770679289&Signature=gysSQtyBicdhsAU-Bjco2Fzp9vqdLb8PL3U6nRxNltCq0Yv-x0HPLAntpftGFF9DSnb3KSZIMEZn9B6a4fSMIgRE6-pQro4bFanSWEwqXTa4ClR5VKpZStnOUad4FeafuYvya2sVMyX5PT3ocTDsciv2XaqTeFczzZKoxeQnhm8G2o7tL1egh58EeaxSQmFiQOkTBUjFIhMNGJHmvVmg~ASMXnGYMKEHuZtGHo87Up5gl1RKeLx-EVQSRHOMujYdU46UYOXaQmibuK1xuKdhbYjoALT3soHhdwnzmBsC-dcHJj6YfmokemoSmjddTivno~X6symfIyYKfbRJxxXsiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate File 2713, which would allow consolidated school districts the same referendum reauthorization treatment as non-consolidated districts and retroactively cover one consolidated district left out under 2023 changes, was introduced and laid over by the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee.

Sponsor Senator Clark said the bill would \"align the dates boards need to approve this by to align with current MDE processes.\" The bill was described as retroactive to cover one consolidated district that voted to reauthorize a referendum but was not covered by the then-current statute.

No external testifiers appeared on the record in support or opposition and committee members offered brief recognition; Senator Farnsworth noted a consolidated district in his area had been affected. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill; no final vote was taken at the hearing.","Senate File 2713 would align reauthorization dates for expiring referendums in consolidated school districts with Minnesota Department of Education processes; sponsor said the bill corrects an omission affecting one consolidated district and the bill was laid over.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6625189,"Bill would let cooperative districts share levy for ice arenas; committee lays it over",412,3633000,4045000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606&start=3633&end=4045","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606/thumbnail_3633000.jpg","/articles/6625189/Minnesota/Bill-would-let-cooperative-districts-share-levy-for-ice-arenas-committee-lays-it-over","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625189-ee8245808ff021ce869794eec559b5cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770679289&Signature=XI2iQ34OPi~vr8IZMFh-xsBgMoHkRYKkxvgJywltTHtLwL5TMYQ~SPKbEVGw-Lw7v4sPF9sVoyYd-uWzXL42eiZ-vU5W8I4yxHTcB8JOAOW2bZg5KRy3BLaHLeP9d--UeGuuKN5RswfKlPAdCKKgjSN1zXIj1Hc~K0qCaGFJL96L-VY4C5YBZlqtVIFE6DvW~dGoho9F3MB50tOdJW80EpkxR4iv5dfwkMJtDGoBf6x0EWyMNl6VOeEoddzflBfI64YGEPJUt91d0VEWmzOcVR8iASkKH3RrEbQ76dSrf1OV8Ys5fE1n-B~1t7GFdgpZ7hGidf54tTo~tCUwfuzCmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate File 1679, a bill to allow cooperative school districts to use levy dollars collectively to fund a shared ice arena, was presented to the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee and laid over for possible omnibus inclusion.

Sponsor Senator Rarick described the measure as a fix to an existing statutory barrier that prevents multiple cooperating districts from jointly levying for operational shortfalls on a shared rink. \"If a school district has ice arena strictly for their district, currently, they can use levy dollars for the difference between what you spend and what you take in revenue. But if they are a cooperative, 2 or 3 school districts combined to have 1 rink, they cannot combine to do the levy,\" the sponsor said.

Dr. Michael Carey, superintendent of Cloquet Public Schools, testified in support and said Cloquet shares an arena with Esko and Carlton school districts; he described declining rural enrollment and the need to cooperate to maintain programming and facilities. Carey said the bill would \"give us the authority ... to work effectively with our neighbors to make sure we can continue to support that programming.\" The committee laid the bill over; no roll-call vote on the measure occurred at the hearing.","Senate File 1679 seeks to allow cooperative school districts to combine levy authority to fund shared ice arena operations; proponents described the change as a technical fix to enable equitable cost-sharing among small and rural districts.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6625192,"Committee lays over technical fix changing references to LTFM in school aid law (Senate File 1202)",160,3446000,3606000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606&start=3446&end=3606","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606/thumbnail_3446000.jpg","/articles/6625192/Minnesota/Committee-lays-over-technical-fix-changing-references-to-LTFM-in-school-aid-law-Senate-File-1202","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625192-efaade1046a50ba231bf548517eaf2f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770679289&Signature=EGqrf-S0U35v~Q-vGbjkxPT45kt2uBzgpbRnhZTeIynasGntqQTziRC~lw~s9BssPGuVPTvua6AnBfDDnANpIUcgL2FsfmvK2UHR4fo7Yswfk7GRPUX9GktM4U0yE21XyozlRMM9r8FSBdYa8bHD~RVqHzD2arX4MnJ-JEHAr0dLXnOnxkkC95CRH69zzX8sGFAiFkjOZfs4pZP4ZS6zJnjjZYIR67lEEPXZaOrXjMfNbqRg1-NuyZ7-6epvKRvDBvqgtfxi8TlLugvgdV0mio40REvnUjQ7HjnRp0kREA02JgOiME2jvdWe4JGkKWVAmwq2-ajtqrzo5S9vYSQLMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate File 1202, described by its sponsor as a \"mostly a technical bill,\" was presented to the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee and laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill.

Senator Kunish told the committee the bill modifies the calculation of a school district's aid and levy limitations when excess tax increment is returned or a tax increment financing (TIF) district is decertified. The amendment \"makes a technical change to correctly reference the name and statutory reference of long term facility maintenance or LTFM,\" the sponsor said.

Committee members asked no substantive questions; the sponsor characterized the change as correcting references and aligning the statute with the LTFM program that replaced the earlier health and safety program in 2015. The committee laid Senate File 1202 over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill; no vote on final language or inclusion was taken at the hearing.","Senate File 1202 would make technical corrections to school district aid and levy calculations related to long-term facility maintenance (LTFM) when tax increment financing amounts are returned or decertified; the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6625196,"Senate panel hears testimony supporting $300,000 for Metro Deaf School birth-to-3 program",2645,847000,3492000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606&start=847&end=3492","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2762631-fbeca4a980894254b412c1e2ffd6c606/thumbnail_847000.jpg","/articles/6625196/Minnesota/Senate-panel-hears-testimony-supporting-300000-for-Metro-Deaf-School-birth-to-3-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625196-967521755f9d249f7705a48a53624b54/orig.mp4?Expires=1770679289&Signature=aOCuLcFm~Z2uWiWP5ZiGdP6O1AaoRNvxJtq1S7y4n9Q7S7bHLSICA6THtac~ZpMOQ1QNhLYTQnxsoVzwoqqjgFtCXySgYpY2w6RE8WIqssEHGQ9XtVQmZ1yQPMVGBRwK8owl0-WO90alRygYsNOq7kPCjR2n~j8941aQ-7LDNKhXPdbrhaQzYh-hGvndXXBfTB9T2tCU1IBjWAxh497yuRKWcKjqJDbseqOxU4dZ-a-KvVEaitE2HBt4C2MeoiArxLJmDxqekVeXpaGL88MaGZQrkRXx9FnHnQLq4Tw5UVWNJl6gUK2Hy0715qU5klAu-1Y4FAuD~NnAwJeVPerNVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate File 2502, which would appropriate $300,000 toward Metro Deaf School's birth-to-3 early learning program, was presented and laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill after a morning of testimony before the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee on Dec. 25, 2025.

Supporters told the committee the funding would sustain a program that gives infants and toddlers who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing regular access to American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf community peers and instructors. \"Sign language remains the only way a family can guarantee that their deaf or hard of hearing child is immersed in a fully accessible language,\" Senator Kunish said while introducing the bill.

Dr. Susan Outlaw, executive director of Metro Deaf School, said the school does not receive Part C funds for birth-to-3 services and described the program offered: a 90-minute parent-infant class and twice-weekly half-day infant/toddler classes amounting to about five hours per week. \"We simply do not get funds for part c... What we're trying to do is combat language deprivation,\" Outlaw said, adding that brief home visits do not provide the language immersion infants need.

Multiple parents and family members spoke in favor of the bill and described personal experiences. Sarah Klarstrom, a parent and Metro Deaf School board member, said her family had to move closer to the Twin Cities so their daughter could access ASL before kindergarten. \"Those first 3 years were a challenge ... we had to wait until she was 3 to start the programming,\" Klarstrom said, describing language gaps the family saw before earlier access. Other parents described school districts'early intervention services that offered limited ASL exposure and recounted improvements after enrollment at Metro Deaf School.

Speakers drew a connection between early language access and later literacy and academic outcomes. Outlaw referenced research linking early language development to reading skills and said the appropriation is a small investment to reduce future special education costs.

Alicia Lane, government relations director for the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing, urged committee members to support the appropriation and thanked bill sponsors. The committee chair laid the bill over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill.

Two actions were recorded on the bill'a motion to move the bill before the committee and the committee decision to lay it over; no final vote on funding was held at the hearing.","Parents, school staff and advocacy groups told the Senate Education Finance Committee that Senate File 2502 would extend $300,000 in biennial funding for Metro Deaf School's birth-to-3 early learning program to reduce language deprivation risks for infants who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate panel lays over bill that defines "hours of instruction" to expand flexible, student-centered learning (Senate File 2250)

Senate file to align referendum reauthorization dates for consolidated districts laid over

Bill would let cooperative districts share levy for ice arenas; committee lays it over

Committee lays over technical fix changing references to LTFM in school aid law (Senate File 1202)

Senate panel hears testimony supporting $300,000 for Metro Deaf School birth-to-3 program