Dear Lakeville Neighbors,
It’s spring time and as we approach the end of the school year and prepare to celebrate graduations, in the legislature we are also working to improve education across the state.
Last year, the Legislature added $525 million of NEW education funding to schools, reformed teacher licensure standards, and increased classroom learning opportunities. This week, the House passed -- with wide bipartisan support -- a plan to build on 2015’s success in our education finance and higher education omnibus bill.
First, our bill helps students in Lakeville and throughout Minnesota. We re-invested $56 million to assist young learners throughout the state. Part of this funding will go toward reducing the achievement gap in our schools. Programs proven to help close this gap will see significant dollars from this legislation. Also, $7 million will be used for schools to expand their broadband internet offerings. Many students throughout the state don’t have reliable internet access at home. This bill would give grants to schools to purchase wifi hotspots for students to use at home for their coursework.
High schoolers, undergrads, and graduate students will also see a benefit from our proposal. Under current statute, high school juniors can be reimbursed to take the ACT exam once. Our bill gives students more college choice by expanding this reimbursement to include the SAT, too. Another provision starts the process of creating a program for students with intellectual disabilities to attend Minnesota colleges alongside other students. This program has seen tangible results at Bethel University, and is something we will look to expand to other campuses.
Parts of this bill also assist our state’s world-class educators. Two provisions look to make schools safer for teachers while also recognizing a need to help potentially disruptive students. We also included language to decrease Minnesota’s teacher shortage, and to help diversify our teaching ranks.
I’m proud to support an education bill that empowers and enables students to achieve more. From our youngest learners in elementary schools, to college students, to our teachers, our bill is a victory for education in our community and around Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A