ST. PAUL, MN—Representative Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, Chair of the House Education Finance Committee, issued the following statement regarding Governor Dayton's press conference on Pre-K funding:
"Early education has been a priority for House Republicans and we are proud to have worked with the governor to boost proven early-learning programs that target resources to the children who need them most. To be clear, schools receiving funding for school readiness or voluntary Pre-Kindergarten are fully funded through the end of the 2018-19 school year, and the remainder of this budget cycle. We look forward to a robust discussion with Governor Dayton's successor about this and all other budget items when the next legislature convenes in January 2019."
Last session, the legislature and governor agreed to allocate $50 million in one-time funding that schools could use toward voluntary Pre-K or school readiness programming. To date, the legislature has not received bill language from the governor on the extension of one-time Pre-K/School Readiness funding.
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