U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be in the Twin Cities Tuesday for several events, including a town hall forum with Gov. Mark Dayton on early learning.
The governor's office says Duncan's visit is scheduled to focus on the need for investment in early-childhood education.
And, notes the governor's office, the state's new budget provides an additional $600 million in E-12 education, including $40 million for early-learning scholarships that will help more than 8,000 Minnesota kids attend high-quality child care and preschool. The budget also provides $134 million to help provide free all-day kindergarten, and there is $40 million in new funding for special education.
Duncan's Tuesday events are:
9 a.m., classroom visit to Pond Early Childhood Family Center, Bloomington
9:30 a.m., Early-learning town hall forum at Kennedy High School, Bloomington. Scheduled to be on the panel with Duncan are:
- Gov. Dayton
- Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius
- Maj. General Richard C. Nash, adjutant general, Minnesota National Guard
- The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director, Minnesota Council of Churches
- Laysha Ward, president, Target Community Relations and Target Foundation
- Art Rolnick, co-director for the Human Capital Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota
Noon, Duncan speaks at the National Network of State Teachers of the Year National Conference, Millennium Hotel, downtown Minneapolis.
