For some early ed advocates, pre-K pitch raises frustration, uncertainty

Art Rolnick
Arthur J. Rolnick is a senior fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a former senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Submitted photo

It looks like a special session is in the cards for Minnesota lawmakers. That's because Gov. Mark Dayton says he will veto the education bill passed by the House and Senate before Monday night's deadline.

The governor is standing firm on his proposal for universal pre-kindergarten for the state's 4-year-olds, but that proposal did not make it into the bill.

Democrats and Republicans mostly agree on the benefits of early education. But opponents have lined up against the universal pre-K proposal. Those opponents even include some longtime advocates of early education in the state.

Art Rolnick, a senior fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, is one of those advocates. He joined MPR's Cathy Wurzer to talk about the issue.

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