Slawik: Republican Education Bill Could Drive Up Property Taxes

As many of you aware, one of my top legislative priorities is education—from preschool to our great universities. When I’ve spoken with many of you, whether at a town hall meeting, in my office, or at Target, you’ve expressed to me the high value you place on a good education for our children in Oakdale and Maplewood.

A strong education system is the key to the future prosperity of our state. It creates a better workforce so that we are able to acquire high-skill positions and be the future innovators and entrepreneurs who will bring the next great industry—and the thousands of jobs that come with it—to our state. A high-quality early childhood education can help us address our biggest education challenge—closing the achievement gap.

There are many benefits of high-quality early education. I’ve seen it firsthand as both an educator and parent, and most recently with a visit to an preschool program. This program, targeted to at-risk children who qualify for free and reduced lunches, is an excellent model for how to close the achievement gap. Through the use of technology and innovative ideas, this program is reaching students, engaging them, and truly preparing them to enter the K-12 classroom on equal footing with their peers.

With all this in mind, I was very disappointed in the Republican majority’s E-12 education omnibus bill we debated on the House floor. We had a long debate about Parent Aware, the quality rating system for child care. Similar to how consumers can look at product ratings online before purchasing, this system gave parents the opportunity to see ratings for child care programs before enrolling their children in them. This is a common-sense proposal that encourages greater quality in child care. Unfortunately, a Republican amendment gutted the program in the House bill.

Additionally, the House education bill cuts education spending by $22 million, contains controversial testing and evaluation provisions while eliminating teacher tenure, and cuts special education aid. With special education spending projected to increase rapidly in the next several years, this cut will drive up operating levies and property taxes in our state. That’s something we just can’t afford right now.

I’ve spoken to a number of parents, teachers and administrators from District 622, who expressed concerns about this bill. My goal is for an education bill that brings everyone together—students, teachers, parents and administrators—to create a thoughtful proposal that achieves our shared goals: stable funding, closing the achievement gaps, keeping the best teachers in our classrooms and providing the best overall education we can to our children. While I voted no on this bill, I’m hopeful we can reach this goal by the end of the legislative session.

If you have questions, comments or concerns on the education proposals—or any other bills—please do not hesitate to contact me. This session will have deep ramifications for our state for years to come, and I would like your input. As always, I look forward to hearing from you and working together to make Minnesota an even better place to live.

Thank you again for the honor of serving you in the legislature.

Nora Slawik
State Representative
District 55B
(651) 296-7807
rep.nora.slawik@house.mn