Friends,
Labor Day has come and gone and students and teachers are back in the classroom. During the 2017 Session we made significant investments in our students -- both with increased funding and key reforms to help make sure our students receive a world-class education. These reforms were hailed by the Pioneer Press as "one of the biggest reforms to state
education policy in recent history.” Read about some of these key education funding and policy changes as well as some tax incentives to help parents of students keep more of their hard earned money come tax season in this back to school legislative update.
Rep. Grossell attended the FOP Lodge 12 fundraiser in Bemidji where he won
the thin blue line flag during the silent auction.
K-12 Funding & Key Reforms
The 2017 Legislature made a significant investment into our children's future. We partnered more than $1.3 billion of increased funding, including a 2% yearly increase to the per-pupil formula that was requested by our school districts, with proven reforms including ending the "Last In, First Out" default layoff policy for schools to keep the best teachers in the classroom.
From the per-pupil increase the school districts in our area, will see a combined $8.0 million in increased funding over the next two years. Making this significant investment into our schools combined with real reforms to keep the best teachers in the classroom means we are one step closer to making sure every student in the state of Minnesota has access to a world-class education.
Tax Breaks for Families with Students
I also wanted to make sure parents know about tax incentives that may allow them to keep more of their hard earned money come tax season. Minnesota has both a credit and a subtraction for education expenses. Most school supplies qualify for the credit or subtraction, including writing utensils, textbooks, and musical instrument rentals. Common items that don’t qualify for the subtraction or credit include school lunches, uniforms, backpacks, and more.
According to the Department of Revenue, more than 43,000 families took advantage of the education credit saving an average of $242. In all, nearly 200,000 families took advantage of the education subtraction. Full details about the Education Subtraction and Credit can be found on the Department of Revenue’s website: http://www.revenue.state.mn.us.
In Case You Missed It: New Laws
The 2017 Legislative Session will go down as one of the most productive in recent memory. It took bipartisan action to get things done and that is exactly what we did. We successfully delivered the largest tax relief package for Minnesotans in nearly two decades and the largest investment in roads and bridge infrastructure in state history without a gas tax increase. Many of the laws passed in the 2017 session went into effect on July 1st, those can be seen here, while another batch went into effect on August 1st, which can be seen here.
Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts or concerns. My phone number is 651-296-4265 or you can email me at rep.matt.grossell@house.mn.
Have a great week!
Matt