Dear Neighbor,
The legislative session is now more than a month old. Governor Dayton and both legislative bodies have released their budgets and major transportation proposals. Now the legislature will began crafting Minnesota’s two year budget. Minnesota is in a strong position with a billion dollar surplus and a growing economy. Here are some key points from Governor Dayton’s proposals with his reasoning underlined:
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Voluntary, all day pre-kindergarten for all Minnesota’s children, ensuring more children are ready to start primary school ($109 million)
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Free school breakfast for every child from pre-K through grade 3, guaranteeing each child is ready to start the day and learn ($28 million)
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Increase the per pupil formula by roughly $60 dollars for each student in K-12 education, meeting the needs of our underfunded schools ($173 million)
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Eliminate the Head Start waiting list, making a good program work better ($19.4 million)
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Hold tuition down and increase the amount under the State Grant program for two and four year colleges, keeping Minnesota competitive in the new economy ($93 million)
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Make childcare available to more low income families ($17.5 million)
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Increase the childcare tax credit amount and expand the program to 130,000 more families, making it easier for more families to make ends meet ($100 million)
What do you think of the Governor’s priorities? You can take a two question survey here or simply reply to this email with your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Tim Mahoney