With the end of the legislative session swiftly approaching, political stalemate continues to get in the way of education reform in Minnesota.

The Governor and legislature still cannot find common ground on Minnesota’s budget, and that disagreement is keeping them from talking about an important policy for Minnesota’s kids: building a robust teacher evaluation system.

One of the first and most important steps to ensure that every Minnesota student has access to a great public school is to provide excellent teachers. Unfortunately we can't identify where Minnesota's great teachers are teaching, or what they're successful at because our teacher evaluation systems are disjointed, inconsistent, and rarely incorporate evidence of student learning.

As a result, top teachers are seldom recognized for their skills, and struggling teachers do not receive the support or guidance they need to improve their teaching.

Minnesota leaders have two options: they can either make a deal on the omnibus bill before midnight on Monday, May 23, when the session officially ends, or they can head into special session and take up the issue there. Either way, they will eventually have to come up with a compromise.

It’s up to us to make sure that deal, whenever it’s made, includes a teacher evaluation system.

Tell the Governor and the legislative leadership that teacher effectiveness has to get done this year!