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November 8, 2013 SUN THISWEEK - Burnsville - Eagan
Education Legislators eye higher education options Apprenticeship program could reduce student loan debt by T.W. Budig SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Two roving legislators chalked-up visits to more than a dozen Minnesota colleges and universities over recent days, gathering impressions and ideas. Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee Chairwoman Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, and Vice Chair Greg Clausen, DFL-Apple Valley, say a student apprenticeship program that could reduce loan debt is a possible topic next session for legislators. “(Europeans have) had apprenticeship programs from the Middle Ages,� former Rosemount High School principal Clausen said. A program could be designed to allow students to lower their debt
Greg Clausen by working in nursing homes, schools or in other useful pursuits, the lawmakers suggest. It’s not an initiative they would immediately pursue, Bonoff said, because the state budget has already been set. Lawmakers last session provided a tax credit to Greater Minnesota businesses accepting interns. Bonoff does not plan bold apprenticeship legislation at this point. “We have to start small because it is a new idea,�
she said. The issue is, Bonhoff said, that students were very, very discouraged by the amount of crushing debt they were going to walk away from school with. Both Bonoff and Clausen emphasize providing students with real-life workforce experience. They have a sympathetic ear within the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “I think Senator Bonoff has a very good idea,� said Amy Walstien, who serves on education and workforce development policy for the chamber. Chamber officials hear from the business community about a lack of trained workers, she explained. “We hear that clearly from manufacturers,� Walstien said. One challenge, beyond straightening out the legal terminologies of training programs, is connecting businesses with colleges, Walstien explained. Con-
nections are stronger in Greater Minnesota; red flags went up long ago about a “brain drain� in rural Minnesota, she said. House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee Chairman Gene Pelowski Jr., DFLWinona, said private colleges and universities have good programs for placing students in internships. He looks for similar programs within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities curriculum. “The (MnSCU) system should be working on it,� Pelowski said. Accepting student trainees is not without burdens to business, Pelowski said. Students require time, and there’s the question of trainees coming in contact with confidential proprietary information and then leaving for other jobs, Pelowski noted.
starting in high school. “I think over the years, as we brought more testing requirements, career education has really taken a back seat,� he said. High school, college and university educators should be talking to each other more often. “There’s not as much (conversation) as there should be,� Clausen said. The lawmakers foresee big changes in higher education. The old higher education model, the bricks-and-mortar, big institution bureaucracy, is outstripping available funding, Bonoff said. “There is an urgency (to reform), because of the unsustainability of this model,� she said. “And economic times, and the debt, and kids needing to find work, and our workforce needs going unmet – it’s all at the point where Minnesota has the chance to lead this nation Other issues if we act strategically, with Clausen spoke of bet- some urgency.� Bonoff and Clausen ter assisting students in developing career paths, seek to better understand
“hybrid learning,� the blending of classroom and online courses. Online learning really opens things up for higher education, Bonoff said, because it provides a chance for students to be taught by top professors without the need for the college or university to have the professor on staff. Not that there aren’t problems. “You can find them, but does that mean you can’t get credit for them?� Bonoff asked of online credits transferring. Working that out remains a big issue, she explained. Will online learning eventually overshadow bricks-and-mortar higher education? “Online learning is not for all students,� Clausen said. There’s a need for a blended approach to learning, the lawmakers argue. Email T.W. Budig at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com.
‘Thrive by Five’ event focus: preschoolers Lakeville leaders hope to rally groups, resources by Laura Adelmann SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Lakeville community leaders are planning a forum to raise awareness about school readiness. The event at Lakeville City Hall at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, will include information and collaborative opportunities for organizations to merge existing resources to address school readiness, an issue City Ad-
ministrator Steve Mielke said affects the greater community in poverty levels, language barriers and students falling behind in school. Mielke said 360 Communities led an effort, at the Lakeville City Council’s request, in 2012 to organize a community convening group that reviewed numerous social issues affecting the community it could address. Some of the issues
explored included housing, transportation, public safety and aging, but Mielke said they determined school readiness as the issue that influenced so many others it “rose to the top.� People on the community convening group included representatives from government, the faith community, education and business. Members present expressed a desire to see
that Lakeville children are ready to learn and succeed when they enter kindergarten, according to a Jan. 10 Bush Foundation blog post by Brian Knapp, president of Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. He wrote that the group determined it would focus on increasing community awareness and identifying and addressing barriers to success, including hun-
ger, lack of housing and a caring adult. Committees were formed that focus on collaboration opportunities, building community awareness and identifying community resources available to help break down barriers to student achievement. Mielke said the convening group does not intend to form a new initiative or resource, but join existing early childhood
initiatives together and provide resources to address needs. He said the goal is to make initiatives already underway stronger through a collaboration or sharing of resources. “Groups working in this area are trying to make an impact on kids and families’ lives,� Mielke said. Laura Adelmann is at laura. adelmann@ecm-inc.com.
Education Briefs Veterans program slated at Vista View Elementary School Area veterans are invited to Vista View Elementary in Burnsville for the annual Veterans Day program at 2:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, in the gymnasium. Parents are also invited. The theme will be “Freedom is a Treasure.� Second-grade students will sing patriotic songs and the entire school will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner� and “America the Beautiful.� Scouts will escort the flags and sixth-grade students will read poetry. Vista View Elementary is located at 13109 County Road 5, in BurnsvilleEagan-Savage School District 191. For more information, call the school at 952-707-3400.
al Twin Cities Open Cheer Competition on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the high school, 6200 140th St. W., Apple Valley. Twenty-eight teams and more than 400 cheerleaders from across the state will compete. The west doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for spectators. The event will include concessions, spirit wear, vendors, and a raffle for gift cards to many businesses. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for K-12 students.
All Saints to participate in Give to the Max Day
All Saints Catholic School will be among many nonprofit organizations throughout the state to participate in the fifth annual Give to the Max Day on Thursday, Nov. 14. On this day, Minnesotans will again be asked to display their generosity by donating to their favorite causes and Cheerleading schools online at www.GiveMN.org. Funds raised will be used to purcompetition at Eastview The Eastview High School competi- chase laptops for middle school classes tion cheer team will host the 14th annu- and iPads for elementary grades.
Education center open in Burnsville Inver Hills Community College, Metropolitan State University and the Minnesota WorkForce Center Dakota County-Burnsville hosted a joint open house on Oct. 30, at the WorkForce Center and South of the River Education Center, co-located at 2800 County Road 42 in Burnsville. Inver Hills is offering general education courses in art, environmental science, Hispanic culture, business math, macroeconomics, sociology, biology and music at the new site along with a certificate in principles of customer service, an A.S. degree in contemporary business, and an A.S. degree in individualized professional studies. Metropolitan State University is offering B.A. programs in business fields at the site as well as individualized professional studies. WorkForce Centers help job seekers find employment, help businesses find workers, and help anyone at any stage explore and plan careers. Most services are free of charge.
Willson is named school nurse administrator of the year Dawn Willson, the director of health services in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, has been named the 2013 School Nurse Administrator of the Year by the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota. She received the award at the group’s annual conference on Nov. 2. Willson supervises the operations of 19 school health offices in District 191 and at one non-public school. She is responsible for the district’s health services policies and procedures. She ensures that state and federal statutes are followed along with public health guidelines and current standards of nursing practice. This year, she will begin a new partnership with the University of Minnesota focused on preventing childhood obesity.
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