Sen. Wiger on Education Bill: 'A Great Day for Minnesota’s Students'

A $15.7 billion education package that will "make life easier" for working parents, according to the bill's supporters, now awaits Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's signature as work begins to wrap up on the 2013 legislative session.

"This is a great day for Minnesota’s students and Minnesota’s future," Sen. Chuck Wiger, who represents parts of Oakdale, said in a statement. "We are investing in programs that work, such as all-day kindergarten and early education. These are strategic investments. Research has shown a 16-to-1 return on investment on money put into early learning opportunities. Sixteen-to-one is a smart investment. Every student in Minnesota should have access to all-day K. It should not be based on your zip code or your ability to pay."

The omnibus bill, which means one version of the bill was introduced in each chamber, was approved with small support from Republicans over the weekend, picking up five GOP votes in the state house and four more in the senate. 

Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope was the lone "no" vote from the DFL side of the aisle in the Senate, creating the 41-26 margin. 

The bill raises the state's method of funding local schools by $156 per pupil for a total of nearly $235 million in new money over the next two years.

“In addition to the needed funding increase, we are making significant reforms. We have better testing designed for early intervention and promoting college and career readiness," Wiger said. "One test of 40 or 50 questions should not determine if you are good or bad student. We have great teachers in Minnesota and this bill makes needed reforms, like raising the compulsory education age to 17, to help us make progress toward lowering the achievement gap.

The bulk of the funding is for a new all-day, everyday kindergarten program funded at the state, with $134 million appropriated to a program that "will provide funding for districts that want or need it." 

"This is a bill which better prepares all students for college and career in Minnesota," said Wiger, a sponsor of the legislation. 

In the House, the bill passed on a 78-56 vote. Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL-Fridley) said the bill creates history with all-day kindergarten and a series of funding changes.

"The funding and reforms in this bill will help our students succeed from early childhood to college and career," she said. 

Over the past decade, the state has slipped from 10th in the nation in education funding to 22nd. Class sizes, according to state DFL numbers, are 47th in the nation in teacher-to-student ratio.

“Today is a significant step forward for Minnesota. These students have a direct impact on our future. They are the next generation of our workforce. We are once again making education a top priority," Wiger said. "This is a great investment in Minnesota's future. We are investing over 500 million dollars in our future workforce, our students, our top priority.  We have put in a number of reform efforts to make sure students are ready to be the best prepared workforce in the world."

Funding for the education bill is also tied to the Omnibus Tax Bill, which also passed through the House over the weekend on a party line vote. 

Via a release from Sen. Wiger, highlights of the additional spending include:

• $134 million for All-Day Kindergarten throughout the state
• $40 million for Early Learning Scholarships to help students from low income families attend high-quality pre-kindergarten classes
• $40 million for Special Education to begin restoring a decade of cuts
• $234 million on the basic education formula to help meet the basic needs of schools (1.5% in 2014, 1.5% in 2015)
• $10 million for vocational and career training
• $1 million for Starbase, a rigorous Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program
• $500,000 for Math Corps to provide additional math tutors
• Gifted and Talented program expansion that requires districts to adopt guidelines for identifying students for Gifted and Talented programs, provides assessments that are sensitive to under-represented groups and allows districts to admit students under age five if they meet Gifted and Talented requirements
• Safe School funding is expanded to include purchase of laminated glass and efforts to improve school climate and costs associated with mental health services

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our free newsletter