Legislature gives final approval to $17.2 billion for public schools

The Minnesota Legislature overwhelmingly voted to spend $17 billion in state tax dollars on public schools in the next two years, finally settling on an education budget that split Gov. Mark Dayton and House Republicans and forcing the special legislative session in the first place.

The House backed the bill with a strongly bipartisan vote of 115-10, with most Democrats joining all but three Republicans in supporting it. The legislation includes a significant state aid boost to schools, 2 percent a year over the next two years. That's a higher rate than initially approved by the House GOP.

The Senate meanwhile voted 53-to-12 in giving its approval to the budget bill.

"We all take what happens to our childrens and our schools very seriously," said Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, the bill's House sponsor. The bill constitutes "more money than our schools are getting in the current biennium," she said.

With a nearly $2 billion projected budget surplus this session, majority House Republicans initially approved a $400 million overall spending increase for schools. Dayton sought more, specifically demanding about $350 million to provide prekindergarten classes at every Minnesota public school.

Dayton eventually backed off that demand in light of uniform opposition from House Republicans. In a floor speech Friday, House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers, called universal prekindergarten classes "an unfunded mandate."

After Dayton vetoed the initial education bill, he and GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt finally settled on a larger spending increase of $525 million. Most of it is going to the general school aid boost, with smaller amounts going to an assortment of early learning programs, but not universal prekindergarten.

Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, said she did not see the justification for the additonal $125 million that resulted from Dayton's veto.

"We need to show fiscal restraint here," she said during debate on the measure. "I don't see how spending that money will translate into better results for our schools."

Rep. Jack Considine, DFL-Mankato, however, praised the larger budget bill, saying it was Dayton's "veto and his push that made this a good bill."

With about $850 million in state funds going unspent this year, DFLers said they hope lawmakers will revisit universal prekindergarten next year. Republicans have indicated they will pursue some level of tax cuts in next year's session with that money.

"I hoep next year with $1 billion on the table that we take a good, serious look at Gov. Dayton's universal preK plan," said Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth.