Kevin Dahle for Senate District 25

“At the next intersection, I want you to make a right turn. Don’t forget to signal.”

I had the pleasure of addressing the Northfield School Board last week and we talked about the recent legislative session and concerns about education funding for next session.  In addition, I fielded a question about the GDL (graduated driver licensing) bill that passed both the House and Senate this past session.  We often talk about education but driver education rarely is part of that discussion.  I have been a driver education instructor since 1982 and it is a topic that I am very familiar with.   I still teach driver education every summer and during the school year when I am not in session.

“When parked uphill with a curb, turn your wheels left.”  Let’s try to get within 12 inches of the curb.”

The GDL bill passed into law this past year will save the lives of teenagers in every corner of Minnesota. By putting this standard in law, we can give our young drivers six more months to attain the skills necessary to become more mature drivers, capable of driving responsibly. Specifically, the bill would require the following:

• For the first six months, only one passenger under the age of 20 (who is not a family member) would be allowed in the vehicle;
• For the second six months, up to three nonfamily passengers would be allowed in the vehicle;
• Hours of driving for provisional license holders (basically anyone under 18) would be restricted between midnight and 5 a.m., except to drive to work, school, or with a licensed driver over the age of 25.

“Watch out for the pedestrian up ahead!  Next time, let’s brake a little sooner.”

This is welcome legislation.  Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens.  Drivers aged 16-17 with two or more passengers are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash.  Sixty-two percent of teenage passenger deaths in the United States in 2006 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, 20 percent occurred when a teenager was driving.  These grim statistics are never ending

I am always encouraging our young adults to get as much practice on the road as possible.  I always find it interesting that parents will encourage and set aside hours of time for a child’s piano or violin lessons, or hundreds of hours to hockey and soccer practice, but very few hours with a child behind the wheel.  Parents can all do a better job of practicing the most important skill a child can learn in the teenage years: driving on our streets and highways.

“Keep your eyes moving.  Prepare for the unexpected.”

New laws will help keep our teens safer as they gain the necessary experience in those formative years and I will be out there driving your son or daughter this summer.  Be patient with us.   Obviously, legislatures and driver ed instructors can’t do it alone.

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I was talking with my 8 year old daughter, Kally, a few days ago and she had a few questions about my job as a Senator.  We were talking voting and she asked me “if I had to put my head down when I vote?”  Now there’s an interesting concept.  What a sight that would be…67 Senators with their heads down on their desk voting on an education finance bill.  No peeking!  It reminded me of a question she asked during my election.  “Did you vote for yourself?”  If only we could keep things so simple?

Last month I ran into Marty Seifert, House Minority Leader, at the 60th anniversary celebration of American Legion Boys State.  Marty is a current Boys State counselor.  I suggested to Marty that we designate party affiliation the same way we assign the participants at Boys State.  If you get a red sticker on your name tag you are a Federalist.  If you receive a blue sticker you are a Nationalist.  The first few days of the boys’ week there are no party designations.  Boys are divided up into cities and counties and begin the process of establishing their “local governments.”  That division alone creates an interesting competition among the young men.  But the real division begins after the boys are divided up into two parties.  Allegiance to city and county soon disappear as the young politicians begin the process of selecting a Boys State Governor.  They then spend the last few days of the week in a frantic campaign in a race for the Governorship.  It is an interesting process to say the least.

One of the lessons I teach in my Social Psychology class discusses the power of group influence.  Simply having the class number off into twos can create an “us vs. them” mentality.  “Teams” less than 10 minutes old do whatever they can to beat the other side in simple activities or games involving vocabulary or current events.

Do political labels lead us to pursue public policy for the sake of a particular ideology?  Why do politics have to be “us vs. them?”  Do politicians worry more about how people will view a particular vote rather than carefully think about the ramifications of the vote for the constituents in a House or Senate district or the citizens of Minnesota?  Wearing the Democrat or Republican label certainly carries with it a certain philosophy of government, but we should never lose sight of the reason we are in office.  While I don’t advocate passing out red or blue stickers on the first day of the session, I think we need to continue to do our best to work in a bipartisan way to make the state of Minnesota the best it can be for its citizens.

After I won my election my daughter asked, “Does the governor still like you?”  I am sure he does, Kally, I am sure he does.  Regardless of the of color sticker he is wearing.

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Over my 24 years in the classroom, I have had numerous students in my Civics class, and many of those students were children with special needs. I have had children with autism, Tourette syndrome, Down syndrome, Asperger syndrome, attention deficit disorders, mental illness, and many more with a myriad of learning disabilities. My brother was born with Down Syndrome… and as a classroom teacher or a family member we sometime struggle to find the best path to meet the needs of our children.

Last week about 30 parents of children with special needs met at the Northfield Public Library for a town hall meeting with myself, Representative David Bly, and Representative Shelley Madore from Apple Valley. It was an important and worthwhile discussion about what we can do to meet the needs of both family members and students and how best to help them find success in and out of school.

Specific concerns focused on the lack of resources for children with mental health needs, funding cuts that are affecting educational and county services, lack of communication between programs and service agencies, limited choices for children with high needs, reimbursement rates, and accountability of service providers and county administration.

Legislative efforts are underway to dramatically reform the state’s school funding formula in the 2009 legislative session . A major funding reform bill (HF 4178) was offered this session, and will hopefully serve as the driving force for the significant state education reform we need, including fully funding state special education mandates.

But the legislature can’t do it alone. The stories shared at the town meeting reminded all of us of the importance of community to help our families and children with special needs. Schools, medical facilities, county services, support services, employers and others must work together to facilitate productive outcomes for the children and young adults who desperately want a chance. A chance at success.

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