Thousands more young children will head to preschool this fall after Minnesota leaders dedicated an additional $50 million to programs that ensure kids enter kindergarten ready to learn.
DFL Gov. Mark Dayton said the increased funding will allow 6,160 children to attend pre-K programs for free this fall and bring the number of early learners in such programs to 22,500 this year. But the governor and school officials, who gathered Friday to announce the expansion of various early learning programs, said the new funding doesn't go far enough to meet the demand.
"There should be more investment in our early childhood programs," Robbinsdale Area Schools Superintendent Carlton Jenkins said, as those efforts help reduce the drop-out rate. "This is a big move, but it's not big enough."
Dayton has pushed for universal pre-K and spent $257 million on early learning efforts over the past six years. This year he proposed spending an additional $175 million on such programs.
Legislators agreed to $50 million in new one-time funding over the next two years.
The governor's proposal was "a challenge and a stretch," said Rep. Jenifer Loon, who chairs the House Education Finance Committee.
There are children who would be ready for kindergarten without the state's intervention, said Loon, R-Eden Prairie, and she would prefer to focus on those who need assistance, like kids who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
"If we have a system of universal pre-K that is not adequately targeted … it takes resources away from the K-12 system," she said.