Dear Neighbors, I hope this finds you well. We are six weeks out from adjournment and the pace has picked up every day we get closer to the end of May. The House has announced several proposals to invest in our students and lower costs for Minnesotans; you can read more about them below. Supporting our StudentsThis week, my colleagues and I announced our plan to invest a portion of the state’s budget surplus to invest in our students after an unprecedented pandemic-related disruption to education. Students and parents are asking for more state support, so kids have a chance to catch up academically and emotionally. Here are some important highlights of the bill: Mental Health Support The bill’s mental health package includes a variety of measures to address shortages of school support personnel that benefit students’ social, emotional, and physical health, and fund wrap-around services for students. Our proposal will allow schools to hire more than 1,000 additional counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and chemical dependency specialists. The counselor-to-student ratio in Minnesota has always lagged and this surplus gives a chance to reverse this trend that has led to our state’s ranking of 49th in the whole country. Filling English Language Learning and Special Education Funding Gaps Statewide, the difference between what it costs to provide special education services and what the state pays for those services is more than $700 million. The deficit in English Language Learner services is nearly $150 million. Our bill provides more than $500 million annually over the next three years to significantly reduce the amount school districts pay to make up for these shortfalls. Our Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan ISD #196 is currently facing a projected $10 million budget shortfall and this funding portion of the bill would really help drive down that deficit so our kids can have access to the tools they need to learn and thrive. Investing in our Youngest Learners To help close the opportunity gap, we’re proposing the creation of a statewide voluntary prekindergarten program for children who are least likely to have access to early learning. Many families struggle to pay for early care and learning, including those who aren’t eligible for child care assistance or early learning scholarships. We’re proposing a Great Start Tax Credit that will provide families with up to $3,000 for each child under five years of age, with a cap of $7,500. This will help middle-income families afford early care and learning, so parents can work, preventing workforce shortages, and helping businesses and communities thrive. |