Committee weighs $20 million to expand BARR program to 72 more Minnesota schools

Senate File 551, carried by Senator Putnam, would appropriate $20,000,000 over three years to the BARR Center to support implementation in 72 additional Minnesota schools. The Minnesota State Education Finance Committee heard testimony and laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee the request is based on measured results and not just theory. Senator Putnam said the appropriation would "allow 72 more Minnesota schools and the kids in those schools to implement and benefit from the BARR system." The proposal would fund on-site training and a dedicated coach, three years of professional development and coaching, alignment with local school structures, and access to the state and national BARR network.

BARR founder Angela Jerbeck (executive director, BARR Center) told the committee the model was developed from her counseling work and has been evaluated with external researchers, including a randomized controlled trial. Jerbeck said a recent Constellation Fund benefit–cost study in the packet estimated a $13.58 return for every $1 invested in BARR based on increased graduation, test scores and projected lifetime earnings. She said BARR typically works on-site with a school for three years, then exits after the system is embedded.

Educators from Minnesota schools described operational impacts. Josh Omey, principal of Detroit Lakes High School, told the committee he has seen a 15 percentage-point reduction in chronic absenteeism, a 78 percent decrease in ninth-grade failure since 2018–19 and a 62 percent drop in failure rates for grades 10–12; the school-wide failure rate is now about 5 percent. Omey said office-discipline referrals fell from 1,629 to 660 in the current school year. He credited the model’s focus on relationships, rapid use of data to intervene, and collaboration with county partners for those gains.

Steven Gordy, professional development lead for Stillwater Area Public Schools, described Lake Elmo Elementary’s pilot and post-pandemic implementation. Gordy said Lake Elmo was one of two schools in the district to improve MCA results after the pandemic and reported stronger professional learning community focus and more willingness to innovate instruction. He told the committee that six of Stillwater’s 11 schools currently implement BARR but district budget limits prevent wider rollout.

Committee members pressed for concrete strategies tied to the attendance gains. Gordy and Omey said teams hold weekly grade-level meetings to flag students, use a Community Connects committee (social workers, school psychologists, principals) to coordinate family outreach and connect students to outside services, and engage county partners in school meetings to speed referrals for treatment in cases of chemical use. Omey gave an example of a student whose attendance rose from roughly 32 percent to regular attendance after treatment facilitated through the school’s Community Connect process.

Cost and logistics: Jerbeck told the committee a school’s three‑year coaching and implementation package typically costs $80,000; that cost can be paid by state funds or by districts that choose to self-pay. Senator Putnam said SF 551 would fund the expansion to 72 schools over three years. Jerbeck and testifiers referenced prior Minnesota funding that supported 18 schools and adoption growth in other states (Maine, North Dakota, California).

Senators including Housley and Swadzinski expressed support; other members asked about scalability and whether the foundation model could be made statewide. Senator Putnam offered an oral amendment option during the hearing and emphasized bipartisan co-authors on the bill.

Senate File 551 was laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill.