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Dayton, GOP reach tentative agreement

Sadly, it took the threat of a government shutdown to get Gov. Mark Dayton and the House Republican leadership to strike a deal on education funding.
The Star Tribune reported Tuesday that Dayton gave up his pet proposal, mandatory pre-kindergarten education for 4-year-olds, in exchange for higher K-12 funding.
Dayton vetoed the original education funding bill because it did not include money for pre-kindergarten education. We had expected that he would hold education funding hostage until he got his way.
According to the Star Tribune, Dayton let go of his pre-kindergarten proposal to avoid a state shutdown.
“I have no intention to see this go to a June 30 showdown and a possible shutdown,” Dayton was quoted as saying. “I’m not going to subject people to that,” referring to 30-day layoff notices that were sent to 9,400 state employees on Monday.
Well, good for him, but this all could have been avoided if he had simply accepted the deal struck between legislators of both parties prior to his veto.
His idea of preschool for 4-year-olds has merit, but it needs to be explored more thoroughly before it is mandated.
Dayton’s proposal seems poised to address “education gap” issues in the metro area. If that is true, then that is where the focus should be, not a one-size-fits-all mandate for the whole state.
And while Dayton has pledged money to support the preschool program, perhaps it would be more wise to put that money toward scholarships for families who cannot afford tuition for preschool.
And that’s just the start; Dayton and his proponents also need to think about how to fund transportation and facilities for these programs.
The opportunities for preschool education already exist for those who truly think that is what is best for their children. Again, it should be the parents’ choice, not the government’s. Let’s figure out how to work within the existing programs to best meet our children’s needs.