St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Omnibus E-12 Education Finance and Policy Bill tonight on a bipartisan vote of 83 to 50. The bill aims to close the achievement gap, reach a 100 percent high school graduation rate, 100 percent literacy by third grade, and 100 percent career and college readiness by graduation — all by 2027.
“The investments made in this bill will ensure that Minnesota remains a leader in educating our children,” said Rep. Selcer. “We are putting our students on the path to the world’s best workforce—it’s an ambitious goal but one we can achieve.”
The Omnibus bill fully funds optional all-day, every day kindergarten and invests $50 million in early learning scholarships.
“All-day kindergarten and early childhood education are proven ways to improve test scores, close the achievement gap and get our kids off to a solid academic start,” said Rep. Selcer. “These measures will prepare our children for a successful future in our changing global economy.”
Minnesota has dropped from the top 10 in school funding to 22nd and is now ranked 47th in the country in terms of classroom sizes. The Education Bill aims to improve these rankings by increasing funding for K-12 schools by four percent, or $209 per student, over the biennium. Eden Prairie Public Schools will see a per pupil funding increase of $139 in FY2014 and $429 in FY2015. Hopkins Public Schools will see a per pupil funding increase of $131 in FY2014 and $496 in FY2015. Minnetonka Public Schools will see a per pupil funding increase of $168in FY2014 and $449 in FY2015.
“It is important that we renew our commitment to a quality education in Minnesota,” said Rep. Selcer. “Our Eden Prairie, Hopkins and Minnetonka schools will benefit from this bill. Stable school funding will help our kids achieve and help schools plan into the future.
Many education reforms are also part of the Education Bill, including a new student assessment system to ensure that students are on a path to being career and college ready, innovation grants to increase student achievement, strategic plans for schools and regional centers of excellence to provide assistance and work with schools to reach their goals.
“These reforms are necessary to modernize our education system and to make sure that our students are on the cutting edge of academics,” said Rep. Selcer. “These policies will monitor the progress that our schools are making, keep track of the dollars that are being spent and make sure that our kids are receiving the best education in the world.”
Rep. Selcer can be reached by phone at (651) 296-3964 or by email at rep.yvonne.selcer@house.mn.
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