HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY PAWLENTY EDUCATION PLAN IS DEAD UPON ARRIVAL

09/06/2006

ST. PAUL (9/5/06) – Tim Pawlenty’s new ad isn’t the first time he’s tried to tout his “70 percent solution.” He spoke about it during the State of the State back in March – and House Republicans wasted no time in tearing it down.

Not 24 hours after the speech, long-time Pawlenty-hatchet man Republican Speaker Steve Sviggum declared Governor Tim Pawlenty’s plan to require 70 percent funding directly to the classroom dead on arrival. Sviggum said the proposal would receive a vote, but laughed when it was suggested that there might be enough votes to pass it.

Speaker Steve Sviggum: “We’re not worried. 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.”

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

While it’s surprising that such a dismissal came from Sviggum, the dismissal itself was warranted.

Minnesota schools already average 64.1 percent of funding going to the classroom – that’s the 7th highest in the nation.

To reach Gov. Pawlenty’s seemingly arbitrary extra 6 percent, schools would have to cut funding from media centers, computer labs, librarians, teacher-training, repairs, heating and maintenance, and student support services – cuts that would cripple our children’s opportunities to compete in a global marketplace by not allowing them to have access to vital information and technology in school.

“Pawlenty’s plan is to force already-stretched-thin schools to reallocate thousands of dollars to reach a randomly chosen percentage,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez. “I don’t believe there’s a parent out there who thinks that computers and librarians are purely administrative costs. The cuts he’s proposing are absolutely vital to a comprehensive education. Our kids need exposure to technology in schools in order to compete in a global economy. And they need school-heating and maintenance as a matter of common-sense. Pawlenty’s plan would jeopardize our schools’ ability to provide both.

“Minnesotans won’t be fooled by a campaign sound-bite from the first governor in Minnesota history to cut education funding.”