Although education policy is initiated by the Legislature and executed by the Minnesota Department of Education, the State Auditor has the authority to evaluate how individual districts spend allocated state and local tax dollars. Unlike the Office of the Legislative Auditor, which must wait for a specific charge from the Legislature to audit education programs, the State Auditor, independent of both the Legislature and the Executive Branch of Government, can on her own initiative audit how dollars spent in school districts are used.
Pat is a firm supporter of local control of education, parental school choice and limiting the policy influence of the Federal Government, the Legislature and the Department of Education on local school districts.
Currently, “public education” is taken to mean a government-run system of schools exclusive of any other system or means of delivering knowledge and skills to Minnesota children. It is grounded in the belief that there is one-best-system approach to education that can accommodate varied individual student’s home and social situation and educational needs. It assumes that the Minnesota Department of Education can provide all children, irrespective of their family situation and learning abilities, with quality education within a single system. To be successful, the current system must fit students into existing programs rather than fitting the system to individual students’ situations and educational needs. It assumes a top-down design, expert-driven approach.
Pat believes in education based on an IDEA – an Individual-Driven Education Alternative. That means “public education” is the knowledge and skills delivered to students, not exclusively the system that delivers them. Public education includes government-run district schools, charter schools, private schools, religious schools, online schools, home schools, and other forms of accredited education delivery. Students come from varied backgrounds and have different educational needs. Our school system should remove barriers to and encourage diversity of educational options catering to a broad student population.
As an active State Auditor, Pat will focus attention on the relationship between local school districts and the Federal Government, Legislature and the Department of Education. Education currently consumes over 40 percent of state general fund spending on top of billions raised at the local level. We must ensure that every penny is spent wisely, and we must move back toward local control of education.
