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State Representative John Lesch
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4224
For more information contact: Christina Gosack 651-296-5524
NEWS COLUMN
Education Funding Will Help Students Heading Back to School
When kids in St. Paul head back to school this month with fresh school supplies, new classmates and new teachers, there will be another change in the air. Students probably won't notice, but teachers and administrators may be feeling a bit more optimistic about their school's financial future this year. That's because we worked hard in the Legislature this session to provide Minnesota schools with a much-needed funding boost.
Schools are funded from a combination of state and local dollars, with most of the support coming from the state. The last three years brought flat state funding for St. Paul schools. Last year, the Legislature and Governor cut state support for education for the first time in recent memory. Funding decreased, while school budgets suffered from skyrocketing costs, most notably for health insurance, transportation (gasoline) and heating. As a result, the St. Paul School District made over $60 million in cuts over the last six years, laying off teachers and support staff, eliminating programs, and increasing class sizes. Something clearly had to be done.
Debate at the Capitol this year focused on education, with legislators and community members pushing to stop the fiscal bleeding of our schools. The final education bill provides a 4% increase in the per pupil formula for each of the next two years. While this will not make up for all of the recent school cuts, the St. Paul School District immediately restored $2.2 million in planned cuts to programs and services for the 2005-2006 school year. The education bill also provided increases to Early Childhood Education and Special Education, although not enough to make up for cuts in 2003 or to keep up with inflation.
Minnesota cannot afford to fall behind in our commitment to schools: our economy and our kids' futures depend on it. My hope is that this year will signal a return to our tradition of investment in education.
News Items
- Rep. Lesch, Senator John Marty and Revenue Commissioner Frans to talk tax reform with area residents at St. Paul town hall meeting - (Posted: 2012-12-12 00:00:00)
- Rep. Lesch Named Chair of the House Civil Law Committee - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- EARTH DAY A CHANCE FOR REFLECTION, ACTION - (Posted: 2012-04-17 00:00:00)
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