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State Representative David Bly
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0171
For more information contact: Zachary Stephenson 651-268-1644
NEWS COLUMN
An Education Update
This week, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed its Omnibus Education Bill with huge bipartisan support. In fact, the bill passed by an overwhelming margin of 119 to 13. This bill puts Minnesota back on track to secure much needed funding for our schools and early childhood programs and also accomplishes key reforms. Parents and students will be pleased to know that new funds will help lower class sizes, make all day everyday kindergarten a possibility and restore programs that will help close the achievement gap throughout the state.
In addition, the House Education Bill contains property tax relief, including over $3 million in my district alone. It also contains House File 5, a provision I authored, which restores Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), School Readiness and Head Start funding cut in 2003. I know that these programs need more funds to reach all of the truly disadvantaged children who need their services, but this restoration is a start.
The early childhood components in this bill are especially critical. According to some studies, more than half of the children entering kindergarten lack basic skills necessary to succeed in school. Children with quality early learning experiences are 40 percent less likely to need special education or to be held back a grade. An often-cited study by the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis estimates that every $1 invested in early education creates a return of between $7-17. If only we could get that kind of return in the stock market!
We also recently passed the Higher Education Omnibus Bill, which brings much-needed funds to the University of Minnesota and MNSCU campuses. One of the most frequent complaints I heard last fall on the campaign trail was about the high cost of tuition at Minnesota's public colleges and universities. That's why I was especially pleased to vote for this bill, which holds down tuition and increases financial aid. As the Higher Education Chairman Tom Rukavina said, "The era of double digit tuition increases is over!" Two additional measures I was particularly interested in were the state grant program, which focuses on need, and a provision that allows more bonding flexibility for private colleges.
Minnesotans know that the secret to our state's success is our strong belief in the value of investing in a good education system. Investment in education at all levels creates a highly skilled workforce ready to fill and attract jobs that our whole state needs. Because of past investments, Minnesota ranks ahead of many states that have more resources in the number of Fortune 500 companies with their headquarters here.
In recent years, the state has moved away from a policy of investing in our future and the results are plain to see. Cut after cut for schools at every level while tuition and property taxes go up and up. The bills we passed in the Minnesota House this week go a long way towards restoring the tradition of investment in the common good and puts us on the road to prosperity for all Minnesotans.
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News Items
- Rep.-elect Bly Selected as Vice Chair of Housing Finance and Policy Committee - (Posted: Dec 21 2012 12:06PM)
- House Passes Flood Relief for Southern Minnesota in Special Session - (Posted: 2010-10-18 00:00:00)
- Governor signs eminent domain law to protect landowners - (Posted: 2010-05-03 00:00:00)
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