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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tony Albright (R)

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Legislative Update (September 8, 2017)

Friday, September 8, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

Back to School

When we were working on the state budget this year, education was undoubtedly one of the most important areas of funding. The new budget took effect on July 1, and parents, teachers, and students may start to see positive changes as the school year is starting up.

First, we made a sizeable investment in schools around the state. In the next two years, Minnesota schools will see $1.3 billion of NEW money. Those are significant dollars that can make a big impact. The two districts that serve the majority of students in our area – Jordan and Prior Lake – will receive a combined, new investment of $4.25 million in the next two years; that’s great news for all our learners!

On top of this increased funding, we passed significant, common-sense reforms. For example, we did away with the antiquated “last-in, first-out” default teacher layoff procedure, and reformed our teacher licensure system to bring in a greater number of qualified educators.

I’m proud of the steps we took this session to improve education for every Minnesota student. The funding and reforms combine to form a promising future for our students.

Local News

You probably have already seen, but the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is planning a move to our city of Jordan in the next couple years. This is a big deal for the local economy, and I’m happy for the city. You can read more about the planned move here.

I want to wish a big congratulations to Samantha Dennis of Prior Lake on being chosen for a Minnesota Humanities Center Veterans’ Voices Award. Samantha is a veteran and now serves our community. Congrats, Samantha!

Please Contact Me

As always, please contact me on any matter to which I can be of assistance. You can call or email my office anytime, and I’ll get back to you.

Enjoy the great weather this weekend,

Tony