Final Bid Coming In Minnesota's Education Funding Debate
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — State lawmakers will soon draw the final line in Minnesota's education funding debate.
The Senate was slated to take up its education budget Wednesday. Majority Democrats want to send an extra $365 million to schools.
That proposal is closer to the Republican-led House than Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. The governor has dismissed the House and Senate plans for not allocating more of Minnesota's projected $1.9 billion surplus to education.
All three groups want to bolster early learning opportunities to address racial and economic achievement gaps. The disagreement is over how much to spend and how to do it.
Dayton wants to spend hundreds of millions to offer free preschool statewide. The House and Senate would spend far less and target existing early education programs.
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