Governor Pawlenty is committed

Governor Pawlenty released his revised budget proposal yesterday and I was thrilled that he maintains his commitment to avoiding cuts to K-12 education:

Pawlenty's updated budget would spend $424 million of federal stimulus money on schools -- mostly on merit pay and student achievement. That would result in a $27 million increase from his January budget, which itself included a $156 million bump.

We have a long way to go before we know anything for sure. Before this is over, the legislature and the governor will have to reach consensus and they are far from that now. Nevertheless, the governor's strong desire to protect education from expected budget cuts is good news for North Branch.

(end)