Dear Neighbors,
I hope this finds you well and staying cool! Fall is just around the corner and if you have kids in school or work in our schools, I’m sure you’re savoring these waning days of summer.
As school districts begin preparing for universal breakfast and lunches for our students, rebate checks have started to reach Minnesotans.
This year, the House and Senate included rebate checks for Minnesotans as a part of our approved, balanced two-year state budget. The legislation we passed provides payments to eligible Minnesotans of:
- $520 for married couples filing a joint 2021 income or property tax return with adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less.
- $260 for all other individuals with 2021 adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less.
- Another $260 for each dependent, up to three dependents.
Direct deposit payments will go out first, followed by paper checks in the mail. The Minnesota Department of Revenue expects the nearly 2.1 million rebate payments to be initiated by the end of September. Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have questions or if you haven’t received your check by the end of next month.
Hopkins’ Augustana Chapel View Care Center Benefits from New State Funding
On August 1st, new funding was delivered to nursing homes across the state as a result of the investments we passed during session. As Minnesota continues to recover from the pandemic, long term care facilities have continued to struggle to stay afloat. Locally, I was able to secure $313,326 for the residents of Augustana Chapel View Care Center in Hopkins as a part of the statewide bipartisan plan to stabilize this critical sector of our economy. Next year, Augustana is slated to receive another round of $313,326 in funding.
Photo courtesy of Chapel View Care Center
Tours and Visits
Although the legislative session is adjourned until February 12, the work hasn’t stopped. As the chair of the House Education Finance Committee, I’ve been fortunate to see firsthand and discuss the impacts of our historic investment in education in various parts of the state.
Thank you so very much Minnesota Literacy Action Network for all you do for the lifelong learners in our communities and for the honor of receiving the Adult Basic Education Legislative Champion Award! A shout out and thank you to Rep. Kristi Purcell of Northfield for being a rockstar House author and champion of this successful legislation.
I enjoyed my time speaking on a panel recently at the annual LEAD conference at the U of M College of Education and Human Development. There is something special about being in a room of committed educators, administrators, and all amazing leaders focused on educating our future! A special thank you to Rep. Heather Edelson for her steadfast work in literacy and commitment to getting the READ Act across the finish line. This $90 million + investment will go toward improving literacy and reading in K-12 classrooms across the state.
Thank you Rep. Josiah Hill for inviting me and House Education Finance Committee Vice Chair Mary Frances Clardy to take a tour of the amazing Grow Your Own Program at Richardson Elementary in Stillwater Schools! The district is doing incredible work getting high school students excited to be future teachers.
I also had the opportunity to tour the United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) distribution center in Hopkins with my colleagues Rep. Laurie Pryor and Rep. Larry Kraft. 350+ stores are supplied from this high volume site that covers 1.7 million square feet (20+ football fields) & has 800+ employees. Thank you for all you do for our communities!
As many of you have heard, we are facing a teacher and school staff shortage in our classrooms as school is ready to begin. We've invested in recruitment and retention as well as training in our K-12 Education budget, to make sure we have the resources in place for our students. I had a great meeting with leaders and alumni of Teach for America at my Capitol office. Not only are they helping aspiring teachers, they're also mentoring current teachers in the classroom to address our teacher shortage.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions, input or to let me know how I can be of assistance. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
Have a great start to the school year!
Cheryl Youakim
State Representative