ST. PAUL, MN – This week, Governor Mark Dayton and legislative leaders announced that Minnesota schools were repaid an additional $636 million at the end of the 2013 fiscal year.
Under the leadership of Governor Dayton and the DFL-led legislature, Minnesota has now repaid nearly $2.6 billion of the $2.8 billion that was previously borrowed from public schools, known as the “school shift.”
“When I was on the campaign trail in 2012, Minnesotans told me they were sick and tired of budget gimmicks like the school shift,” said Rep. Will Morgan (DFL – Burnsville). “That’s why I made a promise to pay those funds back and balance our state budget in a way that was honest and responsible. With those funds nearly repaid in full thanks to an accelerated repayment plan in our new state budget, the results show we’re keeping that promise.”
The full release regarding the school shift from Minnesota Management & Budget’s can be found here: Preliminary FY 2013 Closing Balance of $636 Million Allocated to School Shift Buy Back
The new state budget signed into law this spring by Governor Dayton is projected to begin the next biennium with a surplus. The budget also invested over $600 million in Minnesota’s students – reversing a decade of disinvestment in education. This new funding is directed toward strategies proven to close the achievement gap, raise graduation rates, and improve career and college readiness.
This week's announcement comes just after Minnesota added 12,200 jobs in August, pushing total jobs in the state over the pre-recession peak that was reached in February 2008, and less than a week after Minnesota was ranked eighth in the “Forbes 2013 List of the Best States for Business” rankings.
Rep. Morgan encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, or other feedback. He can be reached by phone at (651) 296-5387, by email at rep.will.morgan@house.mn, or by postal mail at 401 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.