ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House on Monday approved legislation Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, authored to conduct a preschool pilot program for low-income students and English language learners in St. Cloud.
Knoblach's bill (H.F. 3254) was included in a supplemental K-12 and higher education omnibus package (H.F. 2749). It includes $430,000 for creating morning and afternoon preschool sections consisting of low-income students and English language learners at three St. Cloud elementary schools.
"This program will deliver additional funding to children who need it most," Knoblach said. "Our goal is to help provide disadvantaged children gain early success with the hopes a strong foundation will lead to further growth and achievements throughout their lives."
The funding appropriated in Knoblach's provision may be used to purchase developmentally appropriate furniture and materials, instructional materials, and curriculum materials, hire and train teachers and staff, and offset transportation costs.
The full K-12 package re-invests $56 million of K-12 cost savings into programs designed to boost learning outcomes for students, expand broadband to students across the state, reduce Minnesota's teacher shortage and increase diversity in the state's teacher workforce.
Higher education provisions are geared toward helping students save money on higher education costs through reforms that reduce the need for remedial classes, as well as increasing awareness of loan-forgiveness programs. The bill also expands higher education opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Last session, lawmakers passed a fully-funded state budget that saw a $1.4 billion total K-12 funding increase for the 2016-17 biennium, $525 million over the base, along with $166 million for Higher Education. The 2015 budget invested historic amounts in early education, increased per-pupil K-12 funding by 2 percent each year, and lowered tuition for thousands of students at MNSCU campuses across the state in 2017.
House Republicans also have proposed tax relief for students with college debt with a first-in-the-nation tax credit for loan payments, as well as a tax credit for families who are saving for their children's higher education costs. Both provisions are under consideration as a part of a tax bill which remains in a conference committee.
The companion legislation is sponsored by Sen. John Pederson, R-St. Cloud.
-30-