No resolution presented herein reflects the policy of the Minnesota State Bar Association until approved by the Assembly. Informational reports, comments and supporting data are not approved by their acceptance for filing and do not become part of the policy of the Minnesota State Bar Association unless specifically  approved by the Assembly.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION TO
THE MINNESOTA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION

Regarding a Proposal to Increase Civic Education Committee Funding to Support a Full-Time Civic Education Manager

MSBA Legal Civic Education Committee
December 4, 2007

RECOMMENDATION

RESOLVED that the Minnesota State Bar Association provide the Civic Education Committee with an additional $19,150 to support a full-time staff position focused on launching and sustaining the Operation Arbitration program and a Minnesota civics coalition.  This would bring staff time for civic education activities from .33 to 1.0 FTE.

REPORT

Executive Summary
The Civic Education Committee requests an additional $19,150 for the purpose of expanding the Civic Education Manager staff position to full time consisting of 37.5 hours per week.  The Committee is working on four new initiatives in the remainder of the fiscal year that require additional staff time to launch the programs.  Two of these initiatives, work on the 2008 civics conference and lawyers in the classroom, can be completed within the currently allotted .33; however, an additional .67 is needed to launch Operation Arbitration and assist in building and strengthening a Minnesota civics coalition. 

Committee Overview
The Civic Education Steering Committee was formed in 2006 to address concerns regarding the public’s awareness of and involvement in civic life.  The topic was a key theme of the ABA’s 2006 report by the Commission for Civic Education and the Separation of Powers.  The Committee aims to foster support for civic education among members of the legal community and all Minnesotans, with a particular focus on young people in the K-12 system.

Since its inception, the Committee has grown from eight members to a full committee with approximately 40 members.  The initial research phase of the Committee has concluded and programs were launched this fall with the biggest program, Operation Arbitration, being launched this January at South High School in Minneapolis.  The Committee’s other significant projects for the remainder of the fiscal year include: partnership building to form a communication network and coalition of civics groups, the creation of a one-time program the Committee hopes will be chosen for a 2008 MSBA Convention CLE, planning and hosting social/educational events such as information sharing happy hours, coordinating a lawyers in the classroom volunteer day for Law Day, and co-sponsorship of a national civics conference with the Secretary of State’s office at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute.

Need
Throughout its research phase the Committee was told that the greatest unmet need for the MSBA to fill was in facilitating and connecting the efforts of other civic education and legal groups because there is so much duplication of and missing services resulting from lack of awareness of what each civics group is doing.  Stakeholders ranging from the Hennepin County Bar Association to individual teachers to organizers at area nonprofits indicated the need for a coalition-building force.  The goal of the coalition would be to improve communication between groups and provide an avenue for partnership on the large complex issue that is civic learning.  Because of this the Committee adopted this role as a priority and its role would be primarily as convener and communicator.

Shortly after the current fiscal year began current President Brian Melendez asked Co-Chair Nena Street to introduce the Committee to Operation Arbitration, which is one of his primary initiatives.  The Committee has since partnered with the ADR Section of the MSBA to manage this program, but its coordination will happen through the civic education committee.  Since meeting with administrators, school board officials, students, and teachers, the Committee has learned that escalating student conflicts continue to plague campuses.  Although some schools have been able to secure the resources needed for mediation programs most Minnesota schools do not have adequate funding or access to conflict resolution professionals to implement these programs.  In the long term, we believe this will increase student interest in the legal system, improve the image of attorneys, and reduce the number of student conflicts that result in fights, suspension, or truancy.

During the research phase a half-time position, with some of that time allocated to the Mock Trial program, was sufficient (total civic education time .33 FTE).  Now that programs are being implemented it has become clear that the volunteer attorneys on the Civic Education Committee do not have the time needed to launch and sustain these programs in a strong and comprehensive way without the benefit of additional staff time.  Therefore the Committee requests an additional .67 of staff time for the remainder of this fiscal year.

Program Description
The currently allotted .33 staff time would be spent assisting with the organization of the 2008 national civics conference and the creation of a CLE the Committee hopes to host at the 2008 MSBA Convention.  The additional hours would be used primarily to coordinate the Operation Arbitration program, with the remaining time spent securing partners for the coalition.

Work towards building the coalition has already begun.  However, additional hours will allow the Manager to meet with more potential community partners, organize and facilitate house meetings with attorneys and teachers, and serve as a communication conduit across organizations.

Operation Arbitration brings attorneys and trained mediators into schools to train and mentor high school students in mediation and arbitration techniques, in addition to discussing the legal system as a whole.  Once trained, students will serve as mediators for fellow students’ conflicts.  However, if the dispute is not resolved through mediation the dispute will then go to an arbitration panel consisting of a school official, a student, and an attorney volunteer.  The Civic Education Manager will be responsible for doing outreach to introduce the program to schools in addition to South High, coordinating and planning attorney training sessions, informing the media of the program, and eventually, doing outside relationship building to secure additional funds for the program from corporate partners, who would be an additional source of revenue and public support.

Goals & Objectives, January 1, 2008-June 30, 2008

Operation Arbitration:

1. 10 trained volunteers by spring launch.
2. Mostly positive feedback from students, teachers, school administrators, and attorneys who participate in the program (at least 75% “mostly favorable” and above responses on surveys).
3. Work with teachers and administrators to identify ways of measuring what percentage of students are aware of the program and aim for at least 25%.
4. Train at least 20 students and conduct at least 10 mediation and/or arbitration sessions.
5. Research and identify five prospective corporate partners.

Coalition:

1. Add five new organizations to the list of partners with whom the Committee has made contact
2. Create an e-newsletter to keep groups informed by June 2008.

Budget
The Committee requests an additional .67 FTE, equivalent to $19,150 to support a full-time employee in this position.  This is inclusive of both the hourly wage and benefits.

Respectfully submitted,

Civic Education Committee
Eldon Kaul and Nena Street, Co-Chairs