Minnesota is a state that prides itself on providing our residents with a high-quality public education.
Most Minnesotans look back to the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ of 1971 as a moment when we made a commitment to equipping students with the tools, skills, and knowledge needed for academic success. This kind of robust commitment came at a cost in the form of higher taxes, but looking back, the investment was well worth it.
Minnesota’s large, well-educated workforce attracts and retains major employers that provide our residents with good jobs that allow them to purchase goods and services at local businesses, afford the monthly mortgage payment, and sustain the vibrant communities found in every corner of our great state.
When you take our historical commitment to education into account, it’s no wonder Minnesota’s economy fared far better than others’ during the Great Recession. Plus, we are seeing more and more signs that we’re on the path to a bright economic future.
For example, Minnesota ended its fiscal year on June 30 with over $463 million more in revenue than expected. All of that revenue will go towards paying back the billions of dollars borrowed from our schools thanks to an accelerated repayment plan included in the budget passed by the DFL-led Legislature and signed into law by Governor Dayton roughly two months ago.
In addition to paying back our schools, the new budget pays for the same kind of investments in education that allowed Minnesota to prosper for decades.
The new investments we made in Minnesota students include:
More Funding for Every School: The budget invests an additional $234 million in the school funding formula, providing schools with a funding increase in each of the next two years.
All-Day Kindergarten for Every Child: The budget invests $134 million to help school districts provide optional All-Day Kindergarten to every student, free of charge. Currently, only 54 percent of Minnesota’s Kindergarten students have access to free all-day Kindergarten, with thousands of families having to pay out of pocket.
Early Learning Scholarships for 8,000 Kids: The budget invests $40 million in scholarships that will help thousands more children attend high-quality child care and preschool to ensure they are prepared for Kindergarten and beyond. Families will be eligible for up to $5,000 in scholarships.
We paid for these new investments by increasing taxes on earned income above $250,000 for joint filers and above $150,000 for single filers, which account for the wealthiest two percent of our state’s residents.
Raising new revenue from people who are doing extremely well financially in order to pay for investments in our children’s education is a promise DFLers made on the campaign trail in 2012 and a promise we kept during the 2013 Legislative Session.
Thanks to Minnesota’s renewed commitment to educational excellence, I’m confident our state will look back decades from now and point to this moment as a time that sparked a new era of shared economic prosperity, much like how we look back at the Minnesota Miracle today.
As summer continues, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or feedback. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-0171, by email at rep.david.bly@house.mn, or by postal mail at 559 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.