Dear Neighbors,
On Tuesday, Democrats advanced legislation that represents Governor Walz’s recommendations for summer education for preschool, tutoring, community programs, mental health, and adult education.
Instead of working to get more kids back in the classroom this summer to make up for Walz’s school closures, the Democrats’ bill shovels money to interest groups.
In fact, only 27% of the funds in the bill go toward summer programs for K-12 students to address learning loss, and only 36 percent of the funding in this bill goes directly to schools. More importantly, significant portions of the funding in this bill have no in-person requirement which is the entire point of funding summer school programming.
This is the wrong approach for students and our school districts.
That’s why House Republicans offered an amendment to the bill that would have put dollars directly in the classroom, and directly to in-person learning so students can catch up from Governor Walz's year of keeping schools closed.
Students are suffering academically and emotionally from being out of school. It’s time to make this right.
House Democrats Release Budget
House Democrats released details of their 2022-2023 budget proposal earlier this week.
The release of the budget confirms that, like Governor Walz, House Democrats are seeking to raise taxes on Minnesotans. This is especially egregious at a time when the state has a multibillion-dollar budget surplus, is receiving billions from the federal government, and is sitting on billions in budget reserves.
It is unacceptable to ask Minnesotans to pay more in taxes when state government has never been more flush with cash.
Staying in Touch
That’s all for this week’s update. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share any thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have. I can be reached by phone at either 651-296-4929 or 701-361-1909. I can also be reached via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Have a good day,
Jeff
8.7.1