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State Representative Dean Urdahl
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4344
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NEWS RELEASE
HOUSE PASSES K-12 FUNDING BILL
ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House Wednesday passed an omnibus finance bill to fund K-12 education for the 2006-07 biennium. The bill spends more than $12 billion and includes the second largest per-pupil increase in the last 15 years.
State Representative Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, supported the bill and the funding increase it provides for local schools.
“Schools need this money after having the formula held flat for two years,” Urdahl said.
The bill would raise per-pupil funding by $642 in Litchfield, $599 in Dassel-Cokato, $622 in Howard Lake and $629 in Annandale. A.C.G.C. will receive a $664 increase and Eden Valley-Watkins will receive $628 more funding per-pupil. Urdahl said the figures include only current levies. Levies issued by individual school districts would add on to the House per-pupil totals.
The bill also contains provisions to ensure accountability in the way money is spent. Urdahl said that while adding more money to the education formula is a positive step, parents deserve to know that their money is being well spent and their students are getting the best education possible.
“I think we’re moving in a direction that ensures higher quality along with higher resources,” Urdahl said.
Other notable provisions of the K-12 finance bill include:
• Alternative licensing procedures for career professionals who want to enter the teaching profession later in their career;
• Increased levy authority allowing local school districts to raise more money if their local needs require it;
• $21 million increase for Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE);
• Allowing willing school districts to form education administrative districts that can share common tasks, such as payroll and food service, to save money while letting districts keep their independence;
• Creating a three-year pilot project to test a plan to allocate compensatory revenue based on student performance.
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