Minnesota Senate Education Budget Bill

PAY BACK OUR SCHOOLS The previous legislature borrowed $2.4 billion from our schools. This bill is past due. We keep our promise and we are on track to pay back our schoolson time. As promised.

Our budget makes a historic $486 million investment in education for all learnersfrom early education and all-day kindergarten, to reduced class sizes and restored equity in our K-12 system.
ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: $134 million Provides the opportunity for all students to participate in this proven program that enhances math and literacy skills and helps close the achievement gap. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: $40 million Provides scholarships for early education programs if a parents income is up to 185% of the poverty level. FUNDING FORMULA INCREASE: $234 million Minnesota education investments have been ignored for more than a decade. Increasing the funding formula by 1.5% in 2014 and 1.5% in 2015 ensures school districts have stable resources to better prepare students. SPECIAL EDUCATION: $40 million Provides additional resources for children and reduces paperwork for instructors. SAFE SCHOOLS: $3.5 million Investments to make school buildings safer and increase student mental health counseling to prevent violence in schools to create a safer learning environment. STARBASE: $1 million Starbase is a rigorous science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program. Students in grades 4-6 think design, test and conduct experiments in an aerospace environment using state of the art technology. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT LEVY This levy is a major reform that will provide a more stable, adequate and equitable education funding system for Minnesota schools. The Student Achievement Levy, coupled with provisions in the Tax Bill, will help meet the funding needs of districts all across the state.

State aid to schools has decreased 12.5%

(In the last ten years when adjusting for inflation)

DFL SENATE INVESTS

$486 million investment for our children and schools

EARLY CHILDHOOD INVESTMENTS

Every $1 invested in early education provides a $16 return, saving Minnesota in the long term due to higher economic output, less remedial education and less special education referrals.