Neighbors,
As we enter the interim and await the announcement of a special session, I am proud of the work that we did to pass bipartisan budget bills that help Minnesotans succeed across our state.
Our Health and Human Services budget ensures that we provide for our aging and vulnerable adults by implementing a uniform rate of reimbursement for our long-term care centers. A uniform rate increases the amount of funding, investing more in the care settings and care workers. We’ve also passed a Transportation budget that includes an increase in funding to our small cities, such as Osseo, providing the ability for smaller cities across the state to better address transportation concerns. Our Public Safety bill protects our citizens and their Second Amendment rights. We removed obsolete language from state law in our Elections bill, and streamlined government processes in our State Government Finance bill.
We made great strides towards providing an outstanding education for every Minnesota child – regardless of zip code or age. For our college learners, our Higher Education bill freezes tuition at MnSCU schools and lowers tuition for the following year. We’ve also implemented new policies to protect students from campus sexual assault, and have made it easier for students to report attacks after they occur. For students entering fields with increased needs – such as STEM or long-term care careers – we’re offering new avenues for loan forgiveness. Filling these needs in our community will take dedicated, educated graduates, and we’re here to make sure they have all the resources they need for success.
As our students prepare for college, we’re making it easier to obtain and transfer credits from “College in the Schools” courses. Our bipartisan K-12 Education budget requires that MnSCU schools accept all credits earned through college programs offered at the high school level by their member institutions, and we’ve also increased appropriations to make sure that every student who desires to take a college course is able to do so. Our K-12 Education bill also includes policy measures to increase the amount of qualified teachers we attract and retain in our local schools, including reciprocity for teaching licenses earned in neighboring states and licenses granted to community experts in schools with dire needs.
Overall, we increased funding for education by more than $1 billion over the next biennium. A majority of this funding increase goes directly to the formula, just as school districts requested, providing more money for our classrooms and students. The Osseo School District (ISD 279) alone would see a per-pupil increase of $124 in 2016 and $307 in 2017.
Our K-12 Education bill also offers increased opportunities to our youngest students, providing more pre-K learning scholarships and focusing funding on school readiness programming. Unfortunately, as you may be aware, Governor Dayton has vetoed our K-12 Education bill because he believes we must implement universal pre-K programming versus providing opportunities through scholarships.
I know that every child learns differently – and every parent has different needs when it comes to pre-K programming. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t take into consideration the academic or social goals of the student or the desires of parents, and will limit the options available for our youngest learners. As we enter a special session and the discussion around pre-K programming intensifies, I will continue to support the needs of students and parents in our district by promoting scholarships and school readiness programs for our students.
Although we are no longer in session, I continue to serve as your state representative. The interim gives me an opportunity to spend more time in our district, hearing your concerns and contemplating the ways of which I can be of assistance in the legislature. Please continue to reach out to me to share your thoughts on the issues that impact our state and our community. You can reach me via phone at (651) 296-5502, or via email at Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Dennis