HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 01-05 Lack of an alternative teacher licensing program is illegal, judge says STAR TRIBUNE1/5/2016 Lack of an alternative teacher licensing program is illegal, judge says - StarTribune.com
LOCAL
Lack of an alternative teacher licensing
program is illegal, judge says
The State Board of Teaching is ordered to restore licensing process
for qualified educators.
By Beena Raghavendran (http://www.startribune.com/beena-raghavendran/330703391/) Star
Tribune
JANUARY 5, 2016 - 6:28AM
Some teachers are celebrating a ruling that should make it easier for out-of-state
teachers to get licensed in Minnesota.
A Ramsey County District Court judge ruled last week that the state's Board of Teaching
violated state law when it failed to operate an alternative program to license out-of-state
teachers and those looking to expand licenses.
A group of teachers filed suit in April, complaining that the board, an 11 -member group
that licenses the state's teachers, arbitrarily denied licenses to qualified teachers for
years.
"It's a significant victory," said Nathan Sellers, one of the teachers' attorneys.
The alternative program, called licensure via portfolio, uses teachers' experience and
training to consider licensing. The court order said this process is often used for
applicants who are qualified but whose backgrounds may not match Minnesota's
teacher licensing requirements.
Under the order issued by Judge Shawn Bartsh, the Board of Teaching must restore the
alternative licensure program and accept applications. At the end of January, the board
will have to prove its compliance with the order.
State law splits duties for the portfolio process between the board and the Department
of Education, said Erin Doan, executive director of the Board of Teaching. "At this point,
we'll just continue to work on the clarification of where MDE's responsibilities are and
where the board's responsibilities are," she said.
Until 2012, more than 500 teachers received their licenses through the portfolio process,
but none has been granted a license since, the court order said.
Staffing for the portfolio process, which was provided by the Department of Education,
was cut in 2012, Doan said. MDE then announced discontinuation of the program, she
said.
Other staff have been assigned to get the portfolio process going again, she said.
The Department of Education will be meeting with the Board of Teaching later this
week to discuss the portfolio process, said Sen. Charles Wiger, DFL -Maplewood.
When a portfolio application is submitted, it first goes through the department's teacher
licensing division; if it needs to be resubmitted, it goes through the Board of Teaching,
said department spokesman Josh Collins.
The order means the Board of Teaching can no longer ignore the law, Sellers said.
"We're hopeful that this will reopen an avenue under license via portfolio for out-of-
state teachers looking to gain licensure or in-state teachers looking to expand their
license," he said.
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1/5/2016 Lack of an alternative teacher licensing program is illegal, judge says - StarTribune.com
Plaintiffs also argued that the board's licensing process has been inconsistent. For
example, plaintiff Tony Munsterman, who teaches music at Campbell-Tintah Public
School in Campbell, has been teaching for 30 years and was licensed to teach K-12 music
in North Dakota and Montana. But when he came back to Minnesota, he was told he
needed an additional license.
He signed up for $6,000 in further schooling last year just as the Legislature changed the
law to make the classes unnecessary. To expand his license, he plans to take a state
licensure exam this month.
"If somebody has actually been doing this for as long as I have, at some point, it's the
equivalent of taking a test to prove that you can do it," he said.
beena.raghavendran@startribune.com
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