Senate Passes Budget For All-Day Kindergarten

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The state Senate has passed its education budget to provide funding for all-day kindergarten.

The $15.6 billion package spends the most of all budget bills in the Senate. It passed Thursday on a 35-28 vote.

Sen. Chuck Wiger, a Maplewood Democrat, says funding for early learning scholarships and all-day kindergarten will ensure all children have access to good education. The budget also adds $52 per pupil to the basic education funding formula.

Unlike the House education budget that passed earlier this week, the Senate's plan does not pay back previous loans from schools.

Republicans say Democrats need to follow through on campaign promises to pay off that debt.

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