Thursday, January 14, 2016

Minnesota should invest the budget surplus in education 'from cradle to career' - Mark Borrello and Rosemarie Park, Minnesota Post

The legislature failed to continue a higher education tuition freeze during the 2015 legislative session, and it is students who are paying the price. The state should fund not just a continued freeze but an in-state tuition reduction at the U of M so that more Minnesotans have access to a debt-free college education. We also propose that the state step in to help fill a growing research funding gap left by plummeting federal research support. Our state budget surplus represents a critical opportunity, and our elected officials have a choice: They can invest the surplus in our future, or they can throw it away and continue to shortchange our education system. We firmly believe that investing our surplus in education will ensure that learners of all ages, from every corner of our state, have the opportunities they deserve. https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2016/01/minnesota-should-invest-budget-surplus-education-cradle-career