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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
Rallying for Education
Last week at the Capitol hundreds of parents, children and concerned citizens rallied for Voices of Children Advocacy Day. They were here to raise awareness among legislators of the importance of early childhood care and education.
On Monday, thousands of people came to the Capitol in support of education, this time to focus attention on the major funding problems school districts across the state are facing. Clearly, many believe our fundamental value of providing a high quality education for all of our children is at risk and deserves our attention.
Along with all of these people, I am very concerned about what is happening to public education. In the past two years, education funding was slashed by $185 million, putting Minnesota below the national average for the first time. The result has been teacher layoffs, more crowded classrooms, fewer electives, longer bus rides and continued consolidation of rural school districts.
The Governor is recommending a 1.5% increase in funding, which does not even keep up with inflation and does nothing to repair the damage from the previous cuts. Furthermore, the proposed budget does not address the painful cuts to early childhood or after school enrichment programs, programs that help our children come to school ready to learn and give them tools to succeed.
I am here to be a voice for the people I represent, those living in the larger towns and the residents of the little towns, like Ellendale and Blooming Prairie. Under the current budget, some of these schools may not survive. I can't let this administration forget about these students, some of the best and the brightest in our state who deserve the same high quality education that students in areas with a larger tax base receive.
It is time for us to get back to one of the core values of this state, that of providing the best possible education to all of our young people. There are a lot of hands reaching into the state pot for money, but we need to make sure that the hands of our school children don't come up empty.
If you want to contact me, please call me at 1-800-292-0012, email me at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn, or write to me at 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I look forward to hearing from you!
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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