St. Paul, MN– State Representative Andrew Myers, R-Tonka Bay, voted in support of a House Republican education plan last week to deliver historic funding directly to school districts and provide them with the flexibility they need to equip students with a world-class education. This plan was offered as an amendment during the debate on the House Education Omnibus Budget Bill.
“Our historic education and mental health proposal funds our children,” said Myers. “For too long, the legislature has acted as a statewide school board—micromanaging all school districts and burdening them with restrictions. I listen to and trust our local school boards, education leaders, and teachers to provide students with the tools they need for a bright future. That’s why our plan provided historic, flexible funding without burdensome mandates and represented the right path forward for Minnesota.”
Among its key provisions, the plan would have:
- Raised the basic funding formula by 5% in fiscal year 2024 and 5% in fiscal year 2025.
- Covered 50% of the special education cross-subsidy and 70% of the transportation sparsity aid cross-subsidy.
- Provided $250 million to revamp literacy education based on the “science of reading”.
- Distributed $110 million in flexible aid for safe schools and mental health.
Myers continued, “Our educational leaders know best how to serve their local students. They need flexible funding to increase opportunities for our children. I was disappointed to see that the Majority plan will reduce money going directly to classrooms and will saddle local school boards with dozens of mandates that will make it more difficult for our educators to meet the needs of students. I will continue working with all stakeholders to address issues facing students and educators.”
###