(KNSI) — The Minnesota House of Representatives passed the K-12 Education Supplemental Budget, adding $37 million in funding to get kids reading above grade level.
The bill also strengthens voluntary preschool programs by adding 5,200 seats starting in 2025, one year earlier than originally planned in last year's budget, and about 1.8 billion seats for special education and English language learners. It also establishes a working group to oversee the appropriate use of the dollar increase. We will implement the program over the next four years to ensure alignment with best practices.
A number of measures have been added to provide training to teachers and paraprofessionals to better meet the needs of students. The measures include pilot efforts to compensate student teachers and address trends in student absenteeism. Finally, the bill requires comprehensive information about physical and mental health to be included in the curriculum as a statewide standard.
Opponents challenge these standards, saying they are no longer developed locally, take decision-making power out of the hands of parents, teachers, and school boards, and instead move it far from the most affected school communities. He said it would be centralized.
The bill passed 68-61 and now heads to the Senate.
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