Guest Column by Shannon Savick

I want to wish students and teachers well as they kick off the new school year. Over the last two years, education was one of our top priorities in the Legislature. We worked to pay back our schools, invested in every level of education from early childhood to higher education, and passed meaningful reforms that will help ensure our students are prepared for college and career.

This year will mark the second year of the early childhood scholarships that help 3- and 4-year-olds get prepared for kindergarten. It will also be the first time in state history that all-day Kindergarten is available for every child free of charge. These are two of the best pieces in place for young learners because they provide more opportunities for students to build a strong foundation for all of their future learning.

These new programs can make a new school year exciting, but it can also be expensive. School supplies such as pencils, paper and calculators, educational software, extracurricular academic activities as dance, music lessons, art and science, and tutoring can add up quickly.

Thankfully, Minnesota offers two programs to help moms and dads pay for their children’s education expenses. You may qualify for the K-12 subtraction, the K-12 credit, or both if you save your receipts. For more information, call the Minnesota Department of Revenue at 651-296-3781 or visit their website at www.revenue.state.mn.us and search ‘K-12’.

While we worked hard to support the parents in our communities, we also wanted to make students and teachers a top priority. For the last several years, our local school districts dealt with significant cuts and shifts in funding. We realized that this should be fixed, and moved quickly to fully pay back the shift while increasing funding statewide. For our area schools, that meant a significant increase in state support. Here are just a few examples:

• Albert Lea School District: Over $2.2 million in additional funding ($690 more per student).

• Blooming Prairie School District: $384,000 in additional funding ($584 more per student).

• United South Central School District: Nearly $400,000 in additional funding ($631 more per student).

• Alden-Conger School District: $208,000 in additional funding ($401 more per student).

All of our recent graduates heading off to Riverland, the University of Minnesota, or another state school will also see some savings this fall. That’s because tuition has been frozen for two years at the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, of which Riverland is a part. Tuition had more than doubled over the previous decade before the tuition freeze went into effect last year. It’s time we reverse that trend.

I hope students and teachers from early learning up to colleges and universities have an outstanding school year. Minnesota relies on the hard work and dedication of our outstanding teachers. Their passion for educating our students continue to be the foundation that our communities are built upon.

 

Shannon Savick, DFL-Wells, is the state representative for House District 27A. She is retired from a career in the computer field.