ST. PAUL, MN—The Minnesota House passed the K-12 Education omnibus bill Monday morning, which includes $400 million in increased funding for K-12 and early education initiatives as part of a bipartisan compromise agreement between House and Senate leaders. The bill increases per-pupil funding for every student in every school district across the state by an average of $205. It also includes $60 million in new funding for early learning pre-kindergarten scholarships and school readiness aid, additional funding for school facility maintenance, and teacher licensure reform that will streamline Minnesota's complex licensure process for out-of-state teachers. The bill passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support Monday afternoon, and now heads to the Governor for further action.
Assistant Majority Leader Representative Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, served as a House conferee on the K-12 Education conference committee. The committee report was signed by all five GOP conferees in the House, as well as five conferees in the Senate including four DFL members.
"Democrats and Republicans came together to prioritize our schools, resulting in significant new investments in our K-12 schools, as well as quality early learning programs that studies have shown are the best way to address our achievement gap," Kresha said. "We must target our dollars at those kids who are most at risk, and put our focus squarely on lifting up the most-at risk and disadvantaged children. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach will leave our most vulnerable children behind."
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