Accessibility menu
State Representative Bob Dettmer
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4124
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
MAKING EDUCATION A PRIORITY
By Bob Dettmer
State Representative
District 52A
As a teacher, coach, and parent I know education is a very important part of the life of our children. Making sure they have the resources they need in order to succeed is important. Our children today are not just competing with the other students in the classroom, those in the next town up the road, or even students just across the state line. In this global economy our students are competing with students from around the world.
Just as businesses compete to produce the best product and services, our schools are competing to produce the smartest and most talented students possible. Just as businesses look for capital from investors so they can grow their business and improve their production, schools get investments from the taxpayers so they can improve how they operate and produce a better product. Minnesota has placed a large emphasis on education over the years. This emphasis has historically produced positive results.
To keep these great results up I believe we need to continue the tradition of putting education at the forefront of the priority list. I am pleased Governor Pawlenty has put forth his proposal that prioritizes education funding to $14.1 billion from $13.6 billion. By increasing education funding and making sure results are being met we can increase the return on the investment you make with your tax dollars.
The Governor’s plan increases education funding without raising taxes. Some of the additional money is coming from federal government as part of the federal stimulus package, while the rest comes by taking away from some areas that are not government priorities. Instead of paying for some of the wants, the Governor is leading by example and funding our priorities first. When the money is gone, the spending stops. After all, that is how the family budgets work; shouldn’t the government budget be the same?
The House and Senate Majority have also put forth their plans. The House plan gives no funding priority to our schools. Instead the plan keeps funding levels where they have been, while increasing taxes by $4.4 billion. The Senate plan actually cuts education spending while raising taxes at the same time. These tax increases would further hurt our families and job providers. The money would not even be going to the priority areas of government spending. This plan is disappointing, and I am hopeful we can work together on a bipartisan basis and pass the Governor’s education plan instead.
By funding our priorities first and leaving the wants behind, we can provide for Minnesotans without taking more money out of their wallets.
-- 30 --
News Items
- Memorial Day Message - (Posted: May 27 2013 2:18PM)
- Dettmer Statement on HF956 - Omnibus Energy Bill - (Posted: May 8 2013 3:10PM)
- Minneapolis Veterans Deserve Better - (Posted: May 3 2013 3:31PM)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.