Bill Would Fund Evaluations for Minnesota Teachers

Legislation passed in 2010 requires that teachers be evaluated on their classroom performance, and on the academic performance of their students. Those evaluations will start in the 2014-2015 school year.

But DFL Rep. Connie Bernardy says the 2010 legislation is an unfunded mandate. She says she's trying to get funding to ensure the teacher evaluation system is effective.

Bernardy's bill doesn't have a dollar figure attached to it. It's estimated the evaluation system could cost anywhere from $80 million to more than $200 million annually.

Bernardy says her measure would require that the state give schools money to pay for the evaluations.