ST. PAUL, Minn. – This week, Gov. Mark Dayton announced plans for $137.9 million in one-time Emergency School Aid for school districts across Minnesota. Currently, more than 26 school districts in the metro area and 33 school districts in Greater Minnesota are facing immediate budget deficits that could result in hundreds of teachers and support staff being laid off, along with significant programming cuts, in the coming year. The proposal would increase school funding by 2 percent in the coming year, amounting to an additional $126 for every student in Minnesota. For St. Paul Public Schools, this would result in an additional $6.5 million of funding.
State Rep. John Lesch (DFL – St. Paul) released the following statement:
“We’re proud of the great schools we have in Minnesota, but we keep asking them to do more with less. While Gov. Dayton has shown tremendous leadership by increasing investments in education, we’re still catching up from years of underfunding.
“If we don’t protect our districts from the massive budget cuts they are facing, like those right here in our St. Paul Public Schools, it’s our students who will ultimately lose out. We have a responsibility to every one of our kids, so let’s do the right thing and deliver these investments.”