Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton lays out K-12 education plan

Doug Belden:

Gov. Mark Dayton pledged Friday to increase funding for K-12 education and laid out a plan that focuses on early learners and reducing achievement disparities between student groups.
But there was no detail on how much the plan would cost or how it would be accomplished with the state facing a $6.2 billion deficit.
Dayton deferred questions about funding to his Feb. 15 budget presentation, saying Friday’s announcement was about fulfilling a campaign pledge to provide more money to schools.
He’ll propose increasing aid each of the next two years, he said, “no excuses, no exceptions.”
Dayton promised last year as a candidate to spend more on schools every year, but softened that stance because of the state’s financial problems.
Dayton’s seven-point education plan, titled “Better Schools for a Better Minnesota,” calls for investment in early-childhood initiatives — led by Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius — and all-day kindergarten, as well as a push to increase the number of children ready for kindergarten and to ensure all children are reading by third grade.