|
Dear Neighbors,
Last week, the Minnesota House and Senate convened for a special session to complete work on the two-year state budget. I’m focused on delivering bipartisan compromises to help Minnesotans in our collective recovery from COVID-19, and taking action to ensure our families, workers, and small businesses have a fighting chance to thrive post-pandemic. With July 1 right around the corner, we’re making steady progress in passing bills with various DFL and GOP provisions. Compromise means each side must sacrifice priorities they would like to see included and I’m pleased to share we have found common ground and passed budgets in the following areas: commerce, climate & energy; higher education; agriculture; clean water, outdoors, arts, and cultural heritage projects funded through the Legacy Amendment; and transportation; housing; environment; jobs & workforce development.
Just today we passed the Early Childhood-12 Education budget on the House Floor. We know our students need a little extra help after a challenging year in distance learning, hybrid, or the classroom, which is why we prioritized the strongest level of investment in public education in 15 years with a 2.45% increase to the general education formula in 2022, and another 2% in 2023.
We know our students need a little extra help after a challenging year in distance learning, hybrid, or the classroom, which is why we prioritized the strongest level of investment in public education in 15 years with a 2.45% increase to the general education formula in 2022, and another 2% in 2023.
The compromise bill also includes investments to provide stability to public schools during this period of uncertainty, one-time funding for the Special Education and English Learner cross subsidies or budget shortfalls, and a temporary extension of 4,000 expiring Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten slots, including those in our school district which continues to be a significant priority for me.
I am proud to mention the final budget bill also includes making my Home Visiting provisions permanent in law, acknowledging the ability of these programs to propel our most vulnerable families to successfully raise children that are healthier and kindergarten ready. These programs can close education gaps long before they get a foot in the door.
Home Visiting programs create a ripple effect for children to achieve more, go further, and are more likely to attend college. They have more stable employment as adults and that benefit carries forward to future generations. These programs by far are the best return on investment in education we have available. My provision also expands investments for these critical programs by $1.5 million per year over the next couple years, so more families will be able to access this head start for generations to come.
The overall budget bill makes historic investments in education. While we are fortunate to have world-class school districts in Maple Grove and Osseo, this bill does more to propel our students further. I was proud to support this area of the budget to ensure we can maintain this level of excellence in our communities, and help keep our students, teachers, and families become whole after a challenging year.
|