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| Date: | February 10, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Susan Closmore | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-5712 | | Contact Email: | susan.closmore@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| SENATE VOTES IN FAVOR OF SEN. DAVE THOMPSON’S BILL, EMPOWERING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS |
(ST. PAUL) – The Minnesota Senate today voted in favor of a bill that empowers school districts to live within their means. Senate File 56, authored by Senator Dave Thompson, passed in the Senate 36 to 29. The bill provides relief to school districts that are grappling with state mandates and demands from the teacher unions in the current economic climate. The bill has four elements and all focus on empowering school districts to live within their means.
"I’m so thrilled that my colleagues in the Senate have stood with me today to make the right decision for Minnesota’s schools and our children’s future. Right now, school boards and district administrators have their hands tied by a combination of state mandates and demands from the teacher unions. The bill we passed today will eliminate three mandates that create financial and bureaucratic burdens for schools and taxpayers. In addition, the bill temporarily freezes employee compensation for two years. This will help administrators keep class sizes down and retain important curricula and programs,” Senator Thompson added. “We are blessed to have so many tremendous teachers in our great state. This bill gives school districts the opportunity to keep those teachers in our schools, teaching our children.”
You can read a full copy of the bill by clicking here.
Senator Thompson was elected to his first term in November 2010 and was elected by his peers to serve as the assistant majority leader in the State Senate. Senator Thompson is also a member of four committees including the Committee on Education, the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety and the Committee on State Government Innovation and Veterans. Senator Thompson can be reached at: 651-296-5252 (office) or sen.dave.thompson@senate.mn.
