ST. PAUL, MN – After visiting with students at Parkview Elementary School in Rosemount, Governor Mark Dayton today urged the Minnesota Legislature to support and pass $137.9 million in one-time Emergency School Aid for schools across Minnesota. Governor Dayton’s proposal would provide additional, needed state funding for school districts across the state. Right now, at least 26 school districts in the Metropolitan Area and 33 school districts in Greater Minnesota are facing immediate budget deficits.

 

Without action from the Minnesota Legislature, those deficits could result in hundreds of teachers and support staff being laid off, along with significant cuts to school programs, in the coming year. Governor Dayton’s proposal amounts to an additional $126 for every student in Minnesota.

 

“Schools throughout Minnesota, including in Rosemount, are facing severe budget shortfalls in the coming year. With a projected $329 million state budget surplus, our schools should not be forced to cut the excellent teachers and services that our students depend on,” said Governor Dayton. “With just days remaining in the 2018 Legislative Session, I urge Minnesota Legislators to join me, and support this Emergency School Aid to address the urgent needs of our students and teachers.”

 

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools, which has more than 28,000 students, currently is facing a $12 million budget deficit. Governor Dayton’s Emergency School Aid proposal would help mitigate teacher layoffs, rising class sizes, and other cuts to programs and services.by providing the district an additional $4.1 million in funding.

 

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools are not alone. Schools across Minnesota are struggling to address budget deficits. Based on voluntary survey data collected by the Association of Metro School Districts and the Minnesota Rural Education Association, at least 59 Minnesota school districts are facing budget deficits in the coming year.

 

“We are grateful to Governor Dayton and the Legislature for providing inflationary funding increases for education in recent years,” said Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools Superintendent Jane K. Berenz. “However, the truth is Minnesota schools are still struggling from the funding freezes and shifts from the beginning of this decade. We made difficult budget cuts that increased class sizes and reduced programs and services for students. Our residents supported additional local funding to temporarily stop the string of cuts, but our schools have never really recovered. The emergency education aid proposed by Governor Dayton would help greatly in schools all across the state.”  

 

According to the Association of Metro School Districts, 26 school districts in the metropolitan area are facing deficits that could lead to hundreds of teacher layoffs; according to the Minnesota Rural Education Association, at least 33 school districts in Greater Minnesota will be eliminating staff due to budget deficits, including a total of 85 teachers and 75 non-licensed staff across these 33 districts.

 

·         To read Governor Dayton’s letter to the people of Minnesota, asking them to urge their legislators to support Emergency School Aid this session, CLICK HERE

 

·         To learn more about Governor Dayton’s proposed Emergency School Aid, CLICK HERE.

 

·         To see how local school districts across Minnesota would benefit from Governor Dayton’s Emergency School Aid proposal, CLICK HERE.

 

·         To learn more about all of Governor Dayton’s proposed investments in education, CLICK HERE.

 

State support for public education decreased, in real dollars, by almost $2,000 per student from 2003 to 2012. Under Governor Dayton’s leadership, Minnesota has begun to reverse that trend. The Governor worked with the Minnesota Legislature to increase per-pupil aid by more than $1,000 in real dollars and invest $2 billion overall in new education investments that have helped young learners attend all-day Kindergarten and early learning programs, along with additional investments for all K-12 students. In addition to the $2 billion he has secured, Governor Dayton also has proposed an additional $756 million in E-12 education investments since taking office, which have gone unfunded by the Legislature.