Gov. Mark Dayton visited Expo Elementary School in St. Paul today to highlight his ambitious prekindergarten agenda, even as the Legislature seems poised to scale it back.
Dayton has proposed using some of the state's nearly $2 billion surplus to spend $348 million on a universal pre-K plan that would also eliminate the Head Start waiting list of 2,500 and provide scholarships for at-risk children between infancy and three years old.
Dayton said pre-K and education more generally is his number one priority this session. He said he has adjusted his increase of the school funding formula from 1 to 1.5 percent.
The universal part of his prekindergarten plan seems likely to be cut back. Members of the Republican-controlled House have not included it in their budget targets, and a Senate education budget bill provides for scholarships rather than universal pre-K.
The Minnesota Department of Education estimates a universal approach would reach 50,000 children, whereas a scholarship approach to needy children would reach 20,000 kids.
Dayton kept the attention of the children in part by showing them photos of his dogs on his phone.
