Dear Neighbors,
With the end of the Minnesota legislative session approaching tomorrow, I am still hopeful that we will get done on time, but I have been disappointed with the House Republican Majority’s reluctance to negotiate and compromise with Governor Dayton—particularly for education funding.
In suburban communities across the metro area, we have heard from school board members, district officials and teachers that the Republican House majority’s K-12 budget will result in teacher layoffs and larger class sizes.
Yesterday, I joined many colleagues in signing a letter to Governor Dayton in support of his call for significant investments in E-12 Education. You can read the letter here.
College students have weighed in at the Capitol as well, and have advocated strongly for a continuation of the tuition freeze that the DFL Legislature and Governor Dayton put into place for the last two years. The Higher Education Conference Committee Report that we will vote on later today will not freeze tuition. That is irresponsible and harmful for Minnesota students and families because it will only increase their debt burden.
Now is the time to set the right priorities for Minnesota’s future, and I believe our kids should be our top priority. For my part, I am working hard at the State Capitol in St. Paul to make sure our schools are adequately funded. Please feel free to contact me anytime at rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Melissa Hortman
State Representative