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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Joyce Peppin (R)

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The Peppin Report (Sept. 8, 2015)

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Dear Neighbor,

As kids go back to school, we’re reminded of the important role education plays for our children’s future. While families may not have education policy on their mind at this time of year, the differences in education priorities certainly received a lot of attention during the legislative session and special session.

While House Republicans and Senate Democrats worked through their differences during session to pass a bipartisan education funding package, Governor Dayton vetoed the legislation after session because it did not authorize universal pre-Kindergarten for four-year-olds – despite the fact that school boards and school district superintendents across the state expressed concerns about the cost, space, readiness, and effectiveness of such a program. School districts did not want yet another unfunded mandated foisted upon them from the state that would likely have led to property tax increases on local residents.

Although we were frustrated by the governor’s veto, we worked in good faith to find a compromise. We also continued to reach out to school district officials to ask where they wanted the new dollars to be spent. Their response to us was that they wanted additional funding go toward what’s known as the “formula” – a base amount of state-authorized funding for each student that gives our local school districts the flexibility to spend those dollars where they see fit – whether it's for more after-school programs, retaining good teachers, or reducing class sizes.

After weeks of negotiations, we finally had a break-through when the governor conceded to House Republicans on education spending, which included $525 million in additional spending for the 2016-17 education budget – with the condition there would not a be a new preschool program and that those dollars be largely be directed toward the formula.

Of course, funding alone isn't a sufficient answer to our education needs. With the goal of improving student learning, we enacted meaningful reforms including allowing for fewer mandated tests to increase classroom learning time as well as providing better access to quality educators by streamlining out-of-state teacher licensure reciprocity. This package of funding and policy reforms should address many of the challenges faced by the five schools districts (Osseo-Maple Grove, Wayzata, Anoka-Hennepin, Elk River, and Buffalo) in our legislative district.

With education funding serving as the most significant portion of our state’s general fund budget, I’m proud of the reforms we’ve made. I anticipate we’ll be discussing further reforms during the 2016 Legislative Session.

As summer winds down and fall quickly approaching, I hope you and your family have a great school year!

Sincerely,

 

Joyce

 

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