Clausen's $130 Million All-Day Kindergarten Proposal Passes Senate

District 57 Sen. Greg Clausen's (DFL) push for all-day kindergarten funding paid off late last week.

Clausen's kindergarten funding bill, introduced in January, was incorporated into the Senate's $15.7 billion education E-12 omnibus bill,ored by District 43 Sen. Chuck Wiger (DFL). The bill passed the Senate on Thursday on a 35-28 vote.

The omnibus bill calls for roughly $356 million in new education spending—and Clausen's all-day kindergarten proposal accounts for $130 million of that total, according to a news release issued by Clausen's office.

“This is a great day for Minnesota’s students and the future of our state,” said Sen. Clausen. “After a decade of cuts to Minnesota schools this investment is desperately needed. All-day K will have a big impact on the state and I am happy to have the opportunity to include it in this legislation.”

The omnibus legislation does not mandate that school districts offer all-day kindergarten, but sets up funding formulas for those that wish to implement the initiative. Under the bill's provisions, a all-day kindergarten program must have at least 850 instruction hours in a school year. 

“The benefits of all-day kindergarten are clear and we want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to enroll,” said Sen. Clausen. “Parents will still have a choice to enroll in all-day kindergarten or not. With a proven track record of improved literacy and math skills, I think most parents will jump at the opportunity.”

Senate Democrats also stressed that the omnibus bill includes roughly $130 million of tax relief for property owners by providing funding to "buy down" school district levies, according to a report in ABC Newspapers.

The omnibus bill passed after a nine-hour debate on the Senate floor. 

Click here to watch video from the Senate debate.