More money will flow to Minnesota schools during the state’s next budget period, and that is a very good thing.

Tuesday, May 08, 2001

More money will flow to Minnesota schools during the state’s next budget period, and that is a very good thing.

But as the state House and Senate struggle to reconcile the differences in their school spending plans, the Profile of Learning hangs in the balance. The Profile, a controversial method for setting forth the minimum standards for student learning, would be eliminated if the House has its way.

Both the House and Senate K-12 spending bills are an improvement over Gov. Jesse Ventura’s original, short-sighted proposal. But the Senate’s bill, which would provide more funding for education and retain the Profile of Learning, is superior to the House’s.

The fate of the Profile of Learning is a key matter and quite possibly of greater consequence than the funding differences in the two bills. Although no one argues that the Profile is perfect, or even close to perfect, it was and is a good attempt to set some testable standards for education.

Rather than eliminate it, as the House proposes, Minnesota needs to push its educators to offer meaningful refinements to the Profile. In essence, it is a work in progress – one with lots of potential.

We’re glad to see that whatever bill wins approval will boost basic education funding for K-12 students. In doing so, however, the Legislature needs to retain the Profile of Learning.