February 11, 2011 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol Governor Mark Dayton gave his first State of the the State address, in which he outlined his Five Point Plan for Future Prosperity: Invest in more jobs, invest in better education, invest in improved transportation, invest in the health of our citizens, our communities, and our environment, and invest in the transformation of government services.
About early childhood he said:
- “Every additional dollar we spend on education should be directed toward improving the quality of that education, starting with the experiences we provide our state’s children in the very first months and years of their lives. I have been greatly impressed with the careful thought being devoted by many dedicated adults to the best use of our resources for early childhood education. That is why I will re-establish the Governor’s Council on Early Childhood Education and the Children’s Cabinet, both to be led by Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. This is a terrific opportunity for continued public-private partnerships, involving business leaders, foundation executives, parents, educators, and everyone else who cares about our children and their success.”
Read the full text of his speech here. Watch the State of the State address at The UpTake.
The Governor also vetoed the Legislature’s first budget bill this week, citing the resulting property tax increase, lack of details and unbalanced and piecemeal approach. Read the Minnesota Budget Project’s thoughtful analysis of the veto.
In committee news, the House Education Reform committee heard a somewhat controversial bill to allow a comprehensive eye exam to replace a vision screening for a child’s early childhood screening. Much of the debate focused on the differences between the two procedures, with proponents of the bill arguing the necessity for universal eye exams to be a part of screenings, while opponents cited the large cost of such a change. The committee ran out of time and will hear further testimony and take action on the legislation at a future hearing.
Coming Up @ the Capitol
The Governor will release his budget on Tuesday, which will set the stage for budget negotiations with the Legislature. His budget is where we will learn the details of his “Better Schools for a Better Minnesota” initiative. The budget documents will be available on the Minnesota Management and Budget website when they are released, and we will provide a summary on our website shortly after.
Ready 4 K President Todd Otis will join the Minnesota Community Education Association and the Minnesota Head Start Association in testifying before the House Education Finance Committee on Wednesday at 12:30pm in Room 5 of the State Office Building. They will present an overview of their vision for early childhood in Minnesota and give the committee members a sense of their work.
Many of the committees will begin to hear from the various state departments about the Governor’s budget, and we will begin to get a real sense of the direction the legislature is going by their response. Check out the Legislative Calendar for the most up-to-date hearing information.
There are many ways to stay informed and in touch with our work during the legislative session. We hold quarterly partner meetings, with the next one being in March. Look for an email soon with more details. Also, our close partner Child Care WORKS holds their Policy Hour the first Tuesday of every month, so if you’re in the area this Tuesday, stop by Children’s Home Society and Family Services at noon.
And of course, be sure to check us out on 
(@Ready4K) and 
(Facebook.com/ready4k).