ST. PAUL, Minn. – This week, Gov. Mark Dayton announced plans for $137.9 million in one-time Emergency School Aid for school districts across Minnesota. Currently, more than 26 school districts in the metro area and 33 school districts in Greater Minnesota are facing immediate budget deficits that could result in hundreds of teachers and support staff being laid off, along with significant programming cuts. The proposal would increase school funding by two percent in the coming year, amounting to an additional $126 for every student in Minnesota.
The White Bear Lake School District is projected to have a budget shortfall in 2018-2019 of $379,618. Mahtomedi School District will have a projected budget shortfall of $1,050,000. The new funding proposed by Governor Dayton would amount to an additional $1.2 million for White Bear Lake School District and $463,886 for Mahtomedi School District.
Representative Peter Fischer (DFL- Maplewood) released the following statement:
“For generations, Minnesotans have taken pride in our clear air, clean water, and quality education. But in the last several years, we’ve asked our schools to get by with the bare minimum – and it simply hasn’t been enough. The truth is that Minnesotans do value education, do want to equip our children with the tools they need to succeed, and our schools need this emergency funding to do that. It’s time to get back to investing in what makes Minnesota exceptional and Governor Dayton’s proposal is a crucial step.”