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With less than two days left in the legislative session and Gov. Mark Dayton threatening to veto a school funding bill, President Barack Obama's chief education official is trying to put pressure on legislators to cut a deal that Dayton will sign.

"I am writing because of the extraordinary potential that high-quality preschool has to set children on a path to success in school and in life," wrote U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a letter to House Education Finance Chair Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie and Senate Education Chair Charles Wiger, DFL-Maplewood.

"Extending that opportunity offers the potential to transform the lives of countless young children, in Minnesota and throughout the nation, for decades to come."

Duncan, who visited a preschool with Dayton earlier this year, supports Dayton's proposal to fund universal pre-kindergarten. His letter highlights a divide between the legislature and Dayton over education funding.

DFL and GOP legislators in both houses agreed to $400 million increase for K-12 schools.

, including partial funding of his universal preschool proposal.

If Dayton vetoes the bill, education officials 

 it could mean layoffs and delayed payments to schools.

Politics and Government News

Capitol View®

Catharine Richert

Author

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says legislators should fund Gov. Mark Dayton's pre-kindergarten plan.

20130716_secretary-of-education-arne-duncan

U.S. Education chief pressures legislators on pre-K

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