Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rena Moran (DFL)

Back to profile

Legislative Update: Progress for Every Learner

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Dear neighbor,

This week, the Minnesota Legislature convened for a one-day Special Session to approve $4.5 million in disaster aid for 18 southern and central Minnesota counties damaged by storms in June. Lawmakers also appropriated disaster aid for counties impacted by the 2013 ice storm.  

I’m proud that DFLers and Republicans put aside our differences to help our fellow Minnesotans. We continued what has been a proud history of providing disaster relief in a timely and bipartisan manner.

The legislature will reconvene next on February 25 for the 2014 legislation session.

While I’m excited to continue making progress for our communities in the upcoming session, I’ve enjoyed visiting and speaking with Minnesotans like you in our district about all the progress we made this past legislative session—dubbed by many as the ‘Education Session.’

With the 2013-2014 school year just getting started, our schools and educators have new tools and resources that will improve every child’s ability to reach his or her full potential.

For example, our new state budget expands early learning scholarships for low-income families, allowing 8,000 additional children to attend high-quality preschool programs. This is exactly the kind of investment we need to be making in order to close the achievement gap.

Here in St. Paul, our public schools are receiving funding increases in each of the next two years. For the 2013-2014 school year, we increased funding by over $3.5 million, or $92 per student. Next year, our schools will receive an additional $23 million dollars, which comes out to $597 more per student—plus, every child will have access to voluntary all-day Kindergarten free of charge.

I believe we must do more to close the achievement gap and strengthen our schools, but we made significant progress towards providing all learners with the skills and knowledge needed for academic success—and we’re just getting started!

Over the next few months, I plan to hold kitchen table conversations and visit with groups and organizations in our district to gather feedback and ideas from constituents like you. This could be a book club, church group, neighborhood organization, women’s and men’s group, and many more. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the issues you care about most—whether it’s affordable health care, high-quality education for our children, job creation and economic development, or safe and affordable housing.  

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-5158, by email at rep.rena.moran@house.mn, or by postal mail at 413 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.

Together we are stronger!

Sincerely,

 

Rena Moran
State Representative, District 65A