ST. PAUL, MN – After careful review and consideration, Governor Mark Dayton today signed the supplemental budget bill (Chapter 189, HF2749) which will begin to establish voluntary pre-Kindergarten for all Minnesota children, continue the expansion of broadband internet access in Greater Minnesota, and begin eliminating racial economic disparities in Minnesota.

 

One of the signature investments included in the supplemental budget bill is an initiative that will begin to establish high-quality, voluntary pre-Kindergarten for all Minnesota four-year-olds. Over the past two years, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have traveled the state, meeting with teachers, parents, and children in classrooms across Minnesota, and hearing about the need for more high-quality pre-Kindergarten learning opportunities to reduce educational achievement gaps and ensure every child is ready to succeed in school and in life. The bill signed today by Governor Dayton invests $25 million to help 3,700 more Minnesota four-year-olds across the state gain access to high-quality preschool programs in school districts that choose to offer it, regardless of their ability to pay.

 

The supplemental budget bill will also expand access to high speed broadband internet in Greater Minnesota. Building on the $31 million that the Governor and Lt. Governor secured to expand broadband access in 2014 and 2015, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith successfully pushed for an additional $35 million for the Minnesota broadband grant fund this session. While this falls short of the Governor and Lt. Governor’s $100 million broadband proposal, this new investment is expected to help nearly 12,000 Minnesota households, small businesses, and community institutions across Greater Minnesota gain access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet.

 

Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith are committed to building an economy that works for all Minnesotans. That is why they proposed $100 million this session to expand economic opportunities and eliminate racial disparities for Minnesotans of color across our state. The final supplemental budget bill signed by the Governor includes $35 million to improve opportunities for Minnesotans of color and ensure our economy works for everyone, everywhere in Minnesota.

 

All year long, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith fought on behalf of Minnesotans to build an economy that works for all Minnesotans. They have travelled the state to hear about the issues facing hardworking Minnesotans, and brought their ideas back to the Capitol. Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have made sure that the voices of Minnesotans were heard at the Capitol, delivering better results for our families, communities, and businesses. Those results include the following.

 

 

·         Border-to-Border Broadband Development – Ensuring that every Minnesotan has access to affordable, reliable, broadband internet is essential for an innovation economy that works for everyone, everywhere in Minnesota. That is why the Dayton-Smith Administration fought to secure an additional $35 million in funding for to expand broadband access to an additional 12,000 households across the state. While this falls short of the Governor and Lt. Governor’s $100 million broadband proposal, this investment will help leverage an additional $35 million in private and local funding.

 

·         Eliminating Racial Economic Disparities – Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith are committed to building an economy that works for all Minnesotans. That is why they proposed $100 million this session to expand economic opportunities and eliminate disparities for Minnesotans of color across our state. The final supplemental budget bill signed by Governor Dayton includes $35 million to improve economic opportunities for Minnesotans of color and ensure our economy works for everyone, everywhere in Minnesota.

 

·         Workforce and Affordable Housing – The supplemental budget signed by Governor Dayton will invest $1.5 million in programs to help working Minnesotans find affordable, reliable, and safe housing. The funding also will be invested in for a new Landlord Guarantee Fund pilot program at Minnesota Housing that will incentivize landlords to take on the real or perceived risk of renting to certain populations that have had trouble finding rental housing, including people with disabilities, people with serious mental illness, or people experiencing homelessness. Grant funds can be used to cover damage to a rental unit or cover missed rent.

 

 

·         Establishing Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten – The supplemental budget bill signed by Governor Dayton invests $25 million to help 3,700 more Minnesota four-year-olds across the state attend high-quality preschool programs in school districts that choose to offer it, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. This investment is a historic first step toward ensuring that all Minnesota four-year-olds, everywhere in the state, have the option to attend voluntary, cost-free pre-Kindergarten programs.

 

·         Essential Student Support Staff – Recognizing the critical shortfall in student support staff like counselors at schools across Minnesota, Governor Dayton successfully secured $12.13 million to hire more school counselors and other staff to help ensure all students succeed in school.

 

·         Alleviating Minnesota’s Teacher Shortage – Each year, Minnesota schools lose about 5,800 teachers to retirement, other states, and career changes. And right now, our state isn't producing enough new teachers to fill the gap. This problem is particularly acute in Greater Minnesota communities that are attempting fill open positions in science and math. Similarly, Minnesota's teacher workforce doesn't reflect the growing diversity of our state. Only 3.8 percent of teachers are people of color, while 30 percent of their students are children of color. And these teachers play important roles in closing the achievement gap: serving as cultural mediators, advocates, and role models. To begin to address this need, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have secured $10.3 million to help develop a robust and diverse teacher workforce.

 

·         Keeping Kids in Classrooms – Minnesota students of color face disproportionate penalties through school disciplinary systems, which often take them out of the classroom, keeping them from the opportunity to learn and grow. To change the way schools approach student discipline and keep more kids in the classroom, the supplemental budget signed by Governor Dayton includes $2.8 million for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports through the Minnesota Department of Education.

 

·         Helping Adult Learners Achieve Educational Success – Every year, more than 75,000 students at more than 500 sites across the state are served through Adult Basic Education programs. These programs can help Minnesotans who have not graduated from high school gain the skills and knowledge they need to earn a GED. These programs also include English as a Second Language, Basic Skills Enhancement, and United States Citizenship courses. Together, these programs offer Minnesotans the opportunity they need to enter the workforce and access the opportunity to earn a good income at a stable job. Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith successfully pushed for $920,000 in adult education funding, including $120,000 to offer free GED testing, to help more Minnesotans get ahead and stay there.

 

 

·         Making Essential Improvements to Water Infrastructure – The supplemental budget bill signed by Governor Dayton dedicates $923,000 to expedite critical water infrastructure upgrades included in Governor Dayton’s Jobs Bill proposal. Upgrading this water infrastructure will help ensure clean, affordable water for all Minnesotans, everywhere in our state.

·         Cleaning Up the St. Louis River and Duluth Harbor – Following Governor Dayton’s call to ensure safe, clean water across Minnesota, the supplemental budget bill signed by the Governor today includes $432,000 to begin to clean up contaminated sediment and industrial waste at ten locations at the St. Louis River Estuary and the Duluth harbor and bay.

 

·         Safe, Clean Water Across Minnesota – The supplemental budget bill signed by Governor Dayton includes $594,000 to help Minnesota farmers to plant perennial cover crops to help keep Minnesota’s water clean across our state.