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Dear Mr. Pawlenty, I, along with thousands of volunteers across the state of Minnesota, have just finished a heart-breaking round of trying to fund our local public schools--schools who have been all but abandoned by you and our state legislature, the same decision-making body that has handed down mandate after mandate to our schools without funding them. As a child growing up in North Dakota, we always heard about the wonderful public school system in the state of Minnesota. We envied the priority given to children, our future. Now as an adult, here I am in Minnesota, realizing that the tables have turned. Both Wisconsin and North Dakota have a stronger public school system than Minnesota, because they learned from Minnesota what this state seems to have forgotten--As with all things in life, you get what you pay for. And when you don't pay for education, everyone loses. When my child's former teacher in Minneapolis tells me that she lives across the border so that her own children can attend Wisconsin public schools, that says something. The prolonged underfunding of our schools will not only affect our children, but the economic outlook of this state. Families are already starting to look elsewhere for states that put a higher priority on funding public education. Please, Mr. Pawlenty, before it's too late, we need you and our state leaders to step up to the plate and hit a home run for our kids and our future. Sincerely, Denise Hanson Sauk Rapids, MN | |||||||||||||||||||||
Helping parents have a voice at the places where school policy and funding decisions are made. | ||||||||||||||||||||||