House GOP Says “Pawlenty Education Plan is DOA”

03/10/2006

ST. PAUL (3/10/06)-Republican Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum said today that Governor Tim Pawlenty’s “70 percent solution” to require funding directly to the classroom is dead upon arrival. Sviggum said the proposal would receive a vote, but that there wouldn’t be enough votes to pass it.

Speaker Steve Sviggum: “We know the votes aren’t there. The votes are not there … that bill will not pass … that initiative of the governor’s will not pass.”

“Just yesterday in the House chambers, Governor Pawlenty highlighted this proposal in his State of the State address,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez. “House Republicans didn’t even wait 24 hours to declare the governor’s plan as DOA.”

The DFL’s plan to adequately fund education in Minnesota is geared towards reducing class size:

· K through 3 would be kept under 20 students

· In grades 4-6, the target would be 25 students or less

· In English, math, science and social studies classes in high school, class sizes would be would be maintained at 25 students

· School districts that kept average class sizes in each category under the
specified levels would then be eligible for $500 per student in each qualifying classroom in grades K-6 and $100 per student in eligible secondary classrooms

To download Sviggum’s comments, visit http://www.dfl.org/vertical/Sites/{F0AAF009-B0FD-423C-91D8-627312D63415}/uploads/{C3D8A44B-532A-4C43-B5F8-9B0B4492B26E}.MP3