Minnesota State Representatives Working to Improve Early Education

Minnesota State Representatives paid a visit to the Moorhead Public School District to discuss the needs involving early childhood education.

State Representatives Erin Murphy, Ben Lien, and Kent Eken met with the Moorhead School district officials hoping to help solve some of their pre-k education problems.
 
“I think with a steady budget, and a surplus now is the time to think about how we can invest in our kids for the future, for the future of the state, and the future of our economy,” said Minnesota State Representative Erin Murphy.
 
Murphy says a group of representatives will be proposing the “Voluntary Pre-k For Kids” bill, an initiative aimed to help improve and make early education more accessible.

One of those hurdles for the Moorhead School district is cost.
 
“It’s a sliding fee scale for our families so looking at supplementing that fee scale, ” said Moorhead Superintendent Lynn Kovash.
 
Representatives were given a tour of the school where they were able to see firsthand some of the challenges.
 
Superintendent Kovash says some of the early education needs include transportation, teacher salaries, and a more developmental play approach for kids to learn.
 
“Early education is important. It’s not just replicating what we do in Kindergarten or first grade, but really have activities and education that is appropriate for our youngest learners,” said Kovash.
 
Representative Ben Lien says the bills approval will be depend on one thing.
 
“The real focus we need to have is bringing all of the early learning advocates together to really help make a strong case as possible for the value that early learning is for students,” said Lien.
 
State Representative Murphy says the bill will be brought to legislation during the next session.
 
If approved they hope to have it put in place by 2018.