Dear Neighbors,
As we recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week, it’s a good time to reflect on all of the wonderful teachers who have made a positive impact on our lives. As a former student who grew up in our community and a parent who raised my children here, I’ve had the opportunity to experience and see the value of our strong and selfless educators.
Being a teacher is more than a job. Here in Minnesota and our community especially, our educators work tirelessly for our kids. To show our appreciation, we as lawmakers ought to be doing all we can to ensure they have the resources, not only to fulfill their duties adequately, but to help our kids learn and grow to maximize their potential.
Last week, Governor Dayton shared his Emergency School Aid plan to secure funding for Minnesota schools after reviewing reports of 59 statewide school districts facing projected budget shortfalls. Twenty-six of these are metro area schools. Some school districts in our community are projecting a budget shortfall, totaling nearly $4 million for the upcoming school year. The Governor’s proposal would ensure every student in Minnesota has the needed school funding with an increase of $126 per student.
I am proud of our community's commitment to strong schools, preschoolers, and K-12 students. Education has made our state successful. We won’t continue to lead if we shortchange our schools. Delivering emergency school aid for our students and teachers will help ensure our progress won’t be jeopardized for the sake of tax cuts for corporations, as seen in the current legislative majority’s budget proposal. Our students deserve every opportunity to succeed and have a bright future.
Minnesota Department of Transportation Commitment
At the end of April, there was another deadly crash on Highway 47 between 53rd Avenue and Highway 10. This totals nine fatalities in 18 months. I recently convened a meeting with Rep. Koegel, MnDOT, and other roadway leaders to increase safety on this stretch of road. MnDOT is taking this very seriously and will be doing a safety study in collaboration with our community. We will continue to work closely with MnDOT and the community to increase safety measures. Please check out the Focus article to learn about our work.
We have two weeks left in the 2018 session. Please continue to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns on any state matter.
Sincerely,
Connie Bernardy
State Representative