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State Representative Paul Marquart
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-6829
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Minnesota House Passes Education Budget Making Historic Investments in Minnesota Students, Future
St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Omnibus E-12 Education Finance and Policy Bill tonight on a bipartisan vote of 83 to 50. The bill sets the ambitious goal of closing the achievement gap, reaching a 100 percent high school graduation rate, 100 percent literacy by third grade, and 100 percent career and college readiness by graduation — all by 2027.
“This is a historic night in Minnesota,” said Representative Paul Marquart (DFL – Dilworth), Chair of the House Education Finance Committee. “For the first time in our state’s history, we are fully funding all-day kindergarten. We are working to close the achievement gap and put our kids on the path to the world’s best workforce. This isn’t rhetoric; it’s a promise to the people of Minnesota. We can be the best and this bill sets us on that path.”
“We’ve said for months that we wanted to make 2013 the ‘Education Session’ and this bill is the proof,” said House Speaker Paul Thissen. “We are living up to our promise to pay back our schools and making strategic investments in education because we know that a world-class education is essential to building a world-class economy.”
The Omnibus E-12 Education Finance and Policy Bill fully funds all-day, every day kindergarten and investing $50 million in early learning childhood scholarships. All-day K and early childhood education are proven tools to improve test scores, close the achievement gap, and prepare students for future academic success.
In addition to increased funding for kindergarten and early childhood, the bill also increases the basic funding formula for K-12 schools by four percent over the biennium, an increase of over $315 million, or $209 per pupil.
The House DFL Education Budget also contains a new strategy to close the revenue equity gap and reduce property taxes. The bill enhances the equity formula guaranteeing all districts at least $300 per student of equity and referendum revenue, and raises and indexes operating referendum levy equalization factors to reduce property taxes.
The new investments in this education bill mark a sharp difference from the education bills of the past decade. Minnesota has been trapped in a cycle of deficits. And each time, schools, our kids, and our students paid the price. As a result, many Minnesota school districts have moved to 4-day school weeks. The state has slipped from the top 10 in funding to 22nd. Perhaps most alarming, Minnesota is now ranked 47th in the country in terms of classroom sizes.
“We think of Minnesota as the place where all of our children are above average, but after a decade of disinvestment in education our state has slipped toward mediocrity,” said House Majority Leader Erin Murphy. “Guided by the priorities of Minnesotans, we are renewing our commitment to education and its proven potential to make our state great.”
As part of building the world’s best workforce, the House DFL Education Budget would implement several necessary reforms. Schools will be required to develop strategic plans for student achievement and update the public on their status each year. The state will utilize the Minnesota Department of Education’s Regional Centers of Excellence to provide assistance and work with schools to reach their goals.
A new student assessment system will be implemented that ensures students stay on the path to being career and college ready, and innovation grants that promote new ways to increase student achievement will be available to schools.
“Minnesota students deserve education policies that work for them, not simply punish them or judge them solely by test results,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – St. Paul), Chair of the House Education Policy Committee. “The policies in this bill are aimed at accurately monitoring the progress our schools and students are making, providing accountability for the dollars we’re spending, and helping course correct when needed. These are necessary reforms that will keep our kids on the path to the world’s best workforce.”
Tomorrow, the House will take up the House Tax Bill, which includes the final piece of the House DFL education plan. The tax bill will include a provision to pay back the $850 million owed to Minnesota schools with a temporary surcharge on the wealthiest 0.5% of Minnesotans (joint filers earning more than $500,000 per year). In 2011, the Republican-led legislature enacted record borrowing from Minnesota schools.
“Our budget acknowledges that the bill we owe our schools is past due,” said Speaker Thissen. “We owe our schools kids over $800 million and the right thing to do is pay them back. We made that promise to Minnesotans and we intend to keep it.”
News Items
- Minnesota House Passes Education Budget Making Historic Investments in Minnesota students, future - (Posted: May 19 2013 12:00AM)
- Minnesota House Passes Education Budget Making Historic Investments in Minnesota Students, Future - (Posted: Apr 23 2013 8:38PM)
- House Omnibus Education Finance and Policy Bill Passes Out of Committee - (Posted: Apr 12 2013 3:32PM)
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