Wolgamott Legislative Update - Back to School

Dear Granite City Neighbors, 

It’s hard to believe that summer has flown by and it’s almost time for students to head back to school. With the challenges of the past school year, it was an incredibly high priority of mine to ensure that when our kids go back to the classroom they have the support they deserve. That’s why I fought for a historic per-pupil funding increase - the largest in 15 years.

You can see the exact per-pupil funding increase for the school districts in our community below, showing this year and the next:

• St. Cloud - $262/$428
• Sauk Rapids-Rice - $200/$346
• Sartell-St. Stephen - $190/$332

As a football coach and the father of two girls, I’ve seen the struggles our students have gone through recently. From cradle to career, Pre-K to college, our students deserve the safety and support to excel in their studies, which is why I authored successful legislation that makes our school buses safer, textbooks more affordable, and food more accessible to our students who are struggling the most on our college campuses.

I also supported legislation that preserved over 4,000 pre-k slots and addressed our shortfalls in special education and English learner programs with critical funding.

Here’s to what will hopefully be an easier school year for St. Cloud’s students, teachers, and parents.

Drawing New Maps

Thanks to our community’s amazing job at standing up to be counted during the 2020 Census, Minnesota was able to keep all eight of our Congressional Districts - despite predictions that we were likely to lose one. Though the number of districts remain the same, our state is still growing, and next year at the Minnesota Legislature it is our duty to create updated Minnesota House, Senate, and Congressional Districts.

In the Minnesota House, we’ve already taken the initial steps in the redistricting process, starting with informational hearings on census data and public testimony by district. The 6th Congressional District will have its hearing on Monday, September 13 at 7pm, which you’ll be able to watch here. 

Stay Connected

We’re still in our legislative interim, but we’re getting ready for a potential special session in the coming weeks, both to allocate federal funds to those who continue to serve on the front lines of this pandemic, and to provide assistance to Minnesota’s farmers. I stopped by Farmfest this year with Governor Walz and Speaker Hortman, and heard from numerous farmers about the hardships being faced due to this summer’s drought. As we prepare to come back to St. Paul, it’s imperative that we do right by these Minnesotans. 

Whether it was this summer’s drought, smokey air, or the longest heatwave St. Cloud has ever recorded, it’s clear that the impacts of Climate Change are already altering our lives. I wrote about the need to come together to combat Climate Change in my latest column in the St. Cloud Times, which you can read here.

If you have any questions about our upcoming work, or any ideas on how to improve St. Cloud and our state, please feel free to contact me at rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn, or give me a call at (651) 296-6612. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Rep. Dan Wolgamott