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Dear Neighbors,
There are now less than two weeks to go in the 2018 legislative session. In the past couple of weeks, the House has considered four separate, lengthy bills incorporating every area of the state budget, while including many controversial policies. I’ll keep advocating for the values that we all care about here in Duluth, like great schools, ensuring everyone has affordable, quality health care, allowing our seniors to live with dignity and respect, and building a strong community. In this update, I’ll highlight a few of the important items still before us through the familiar theme of Push. Build. Resist.
One is a proactive policy we’re working to move forward at the Capitol, one is a way we are building bridges between people and groups in Duluth and here in St. Paul, and one is a way we’re resisting proposals intended to divide us or otherwise harm our communities.
PUSH.
Today is Teacher Appreciation Day and this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Throughout the state, many school districts are facing massive budget shortfalls. While under Gov. Dayton’s leadership we’ve made historic investments in education, we’re still catching up from years of underfunding under the Pawlenty years. Additionally, state and federal contributions toward special education have not kept up with what our communities need to deliver an equitable education to all students.
That’s why I support Gov. Dayton’s plan to deliver one-time Emergency School Aid to districts across the state, representing a two percent increase in funding. Under this proposal, the Duluth Public Schools would receive an additional $1.3 million to help stop cuts which mean teacher layoffs, increased class sizes, and cuts to programming. Education has made Minnesota a terrific state, but we won’t maintain the quality we expect by underfunding our schools. Here’s a video where I share my support for this plan, as well as recognize a favorite teacher of mine growing up, Mr. Johnson. |