National Shadow a Principal Week
I so enjoyed the opportunity to shadow Bart Beckman, Principal of Maple Grove Senior High School, and Jason Paurus, Principal of Rogers High School over the past two weeks!
We are so fortunate to have such capable, visionary leaders and great schools in our district. We are also blessed to have such fantastic teachers and staff, energized, hard-working students and strong community engagement with our schools. During my time at Maple Grove and Rogers High Schools, I sat in on a few classes and meet with teachers and staff as they "made the rounds."
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These teachers and staff do such an outstanding job engaging with students to build a strong community culture as they go through their day.
The schools offer students so many innovative opportunities for learning and exploring career options. It is a great time to be a student and I'm confident our young people are being well-prepared to meet the workforce needs of the future.
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Meeting with DHS Commissioner Harpstead
I was able to share my specific concerns with Commissioner Harpstead on the lack of transparency about the leadership turmoil at the Department of Human Services (DHS), including the abrupt resignation of former Commissioner Tony Lourey, the resignation and then reinstatement of two assistant commissioners, as well as the resignation or reassignment of others and the concerns raised by whistleblowers. Unfortunately, she declined to add much more insight to these leadership problems, citing privacy responsibilities regarding personnel matters. I expressed my strong desire that she will make them available for testimony when the House Health and Human Services Committee has its first hearing on these problems on December 2nd.
We also discussed issues related to child care fraud and the re-assignment of the Inspector General who had been on paid leave to the General Counsel’s office. She felt it was better for Ms. Ham to be working within the Department during the on-going investigation and hopes we will have the results of that investigation soon.
We had a broad and constructive discussion about the need for significant process improvement and stronger internal controls in the department. Commissioner Harpstead is working on bringing all areas of DHS in line with Six Sigma standards to improve processes, reduce errors and improve quality. I support her efforts in this regard. We also discussed the possibility of breaking DHS into more manageable components, which is certainly something the legislature is likely to consider.
Commissioner Harpstead has taken on a very difficult role at a difficult time and I hope to work constructively with her and others to bring stability, transparency and accountability to DHS.
Monticello Nuclear Plant Tour
I really enjoyed recently participating in a tour of Monticello Nuclear Plant with several of my colleagues. The plant is extremely well-run and provides 30% of Xcel Energy's energy portfolio and accounts for the largest amount of the carbon-free power generation. The Monticello plant has 650 highly-trained, high-skill employees, and they have additional 1000 during refueling, which happens every two years.
One of the interesting benefits of the Monticello plant is that the warm water from the facility prevents the Mississippi River from freezing over, allowing around 1500 to 2000 trumpeter swans to spend the winter months there. It is apparently quite the site to behold and the public can go to Swan Park to view them! I am definitely planning to check it out this winter - find out more details here.
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Legislative Reform Committees
As you may recall, I was not a fan of how this past session’s conference committee process devolved into a three-person "legislative tribunal" that ultimately allowed the governor, House Speaker, and Senate Majority leader to determine what was in the final budget bills.
Although I don't have a lot of clout as a freshman, I'm doing my best to improve the process by participating in bipartisan "legislative reform" hearings and working groups during the interim. I think these groups will provide a number of recommendations to leadership to improve the process for the sake of the institution and I will work hard to be a constructive voice in this process.
Hyvee Grand Opening in Maple Grove!
Parnassus Charter School students visit the Capitol!
It was great to spend time at the Rogers & Maple Grove Craft Fairs!
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance. My office phone number is 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin
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