A compromise E-12 budget agreement was announced Tuesday afternoon that will provide significant new funding in the largest area of the state budget.
In response, Senator Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood), ranking DFL-Lead on the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee, released the following statement:
“Today’s agreement represents a bold investment in Minnesota’s students, schools and future. This agreement is significantly stronger than what was passed by the Senate earlier in the year. The proposal delivers real increases for the basic funding formula; the bill originally passed by the Senate offered no increase in formula. Thankfully, the agreement provides stability and support for students. It includes historic, needed funding for increasing teachers of color in our classrooms, and provides new funding for voluntary pre-k. The agreement also rejected diverting public money for private schools; the Senate Republicans’ plan would have siphoned over $250 million dollars from public schools in 2025.
The record investment in education would not have been possible without the strong advocacy from my DFL colleagues in the House and the leadership of Governor Walz, who early on advocated for increased funding, which Republicans eventually supported with improved target funds. I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote for it.”
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