Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday afternoon signed the Supplemental Budget bill that contains a variety of appropriations spanning many areas of state government including E-12 education. This bill establishes a new pre-K pilot program and provides additional funding for rural school districts. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will provide applications for the PreK funding soon. View the potential on your school districts with … Read More
Two Major Bills Await Governor’s Action
Gov. Mark Dayton prepares for a 1 pm news conference on Wednesday after signing 20 bills, vetoing two and leaving two with no action, including a tax bill containing significant opportunities for Greater Minnesota schools. When the legislature adjourned session on May 22, the Governor received extra time to review legislation that’s passed in the final three days of that session. … Read More
2016 Session Closes with Help for Rural Communities
The Minnesota Legislature worked until the last allowable minute of the 2016 session. Two major pieces of legislation crossed the legislative finish line and are on their way to Governor Dayton’s desk for his signature into law. A $258 million tax cut bill and a $182 million supplemental budget bill made it just under the Sunday midnight deadline for passing bills. … Read More
Legislature Passes Ag2School Tax Credit
Legislature passed a major provision aimed at reducing farm taxes owed for school bond payments. This targeted bond credit for agricultural land is a major win for farmers and school districts struggling to pass building bonds. Here are the specifics and mechanics of how this credit will work: Who’s eligible: Eligible property for the credit includes all class 2a, 2b, and … Read More
Amendments of Interest Made in House, Senate Debates
Before the House and Senate approved their supplemental budget bills last week, a series of key amendments were made that impact P-12 education. MREA provided a brief overview of amendments of immediate interest below. View MREA’s complete side-by-side comparison of the legislative proposals. House Amendments Education Finance Chair Jennifer Loon (GOP Eden Prairie) added an amendment to increase the loan forgiveness program … Read More
Progress Update on MREA Platform Issues
The House and Senate are each bringing finance and policy proposals that MREA supports to end of session negotiations. Here’s a snapshot of some of the provisions, organized by the issues outlined on MREA’s 2016 legislative platform: Facility Fallout The House tax cut package contains an Agricultural school bond credit of 50 percent. MREA is in strong support of this … Read More
Technology, Teacher Recruitment Top Priorities in Omnibus Bill
The House and Senate Education Committees passed their education finance bills on schedule last week. They neatly bracket the Governor’s target of $60.77 million. The Senate’s budget tops $100.5 million, while the House spends $52 million. Both bodies assume that several districts with Capital loans will repay their loans thus providing the state with an infusion of $52 million. Even … Read More
House Releases Budget, Senate to Follow
The House GOP released its E-12 target late last week with a focus on one-time funding. The Senate will follow with its plan this week. The House Plan The House proposal focuses on creating $53 million in one-time funding by offering favorable refinancing of facility debt for several Capital Loan districts. The plan assumes seven districts will take advantage of this … Read More
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Gets Money for Repairs
Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig High School on Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Bena, Minnesota will receive nearly $12 million for repairs and improvements. The support will help the school make critical repairs and create a safer learning environment for students on the reservation. Not originally designed or constructed to house a high school, the school funded by the Bureau of Indian Education serves as an example of … Read More
Education Omnibus Bills Introduced: How They Compare
After three packed weeks of bill introductions and testimony, both the House and Senate Omnibus Education Policy Bills passed out of committee for their first deadline. HF 3066 DE and SF 2744 A5 are designed to include policy changes that do not have state-level cost impacts. View side-by-side comparison of bills. Some of the more significant proposed policy changes include: Personal … Read More