Eleventh-hour K-12 bill stalls in House

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A last-minute bid by DFLers to pass a K-12 education bill failed this morning in the state House.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty called legislators into special session today to pass a budget agreement. DFL legislative leaders negotiated unsuccessfully with Pawlenty to get the education bill onto the special session agenda.

House K-12 Education Finance Chair Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, tried to get the bill taken up. But House Republicans objected that the education bill wasn’t part of the agreement between DFLers and Pawlenty.

The Senate, meanwhile, passed the education bill before adjourning the session.

The bill had two key funding provisions, Greiling said. It made it easier for school districts to get federal funding for special education health care costs. It also allowed school districts to levy for health and safety projects.

Greiling said the bill would have been a positive development for schools out of a session that is otherwise dominated by accounting shifts and flat funding.

“(House Republicans) voted no for the little bit of relief for students,” Greiling said.