Mark Dayton: “I also wish to comment briefly on the Omnibus appropriations measure which is before us and to express my concern about…”

“I also wish to comment briefly on the Omnibus appropriations measure which is before us and to express my concern about one omission which has severe consequences for my home State of Minnesota, which is the elimination of the Senate's action to prevent Minnesota and other States from having their title I education funding cut last year and this year. In 2004, Minnesota was 1 of 12 States to suffer a reduction in title I funding. Minnesota schools received $12.3 million less in fiscal year 2004 than we did in 2003. We lost that $12.3 million in funding, even though our number of title I-eligible students increased by over 3,600. For this fiscal year 2005, Minnesota is only one of two States in the Nation to lose title I money, even though the number of our title I-eligible students will increase again. In this conference report, Minnesota will receive $15.3 million less than we did 2 years ago for title I education with probably 10,000 more poor students. The Senate bill corrected the worst of that injustice. It said that no State would lose title I funding if their number of poor students increased. It didn't give those States any more money, even though that is what we should get--more title I money to serve more title I-eligible students. It only protected us from getting less funding. Now even that protection has been removed.”