Dayton Proposes Tax Cut In Exchange For More Education Money

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP/WCCO) — Gov. Mark Dayton proposed a tax cut in return for a scaled-back version of his plan for universal preschool for all 4-year-olds.

After vetoing two budget bills Saturday, Dayton offered a $260 million, one-year temporary income tax cut if lawmakers approve $250 million in additional money for public schools, including $100 million for preschool that would go only to districts that choose to apply for it.

Dayton vetoed the session's main public school funding bill Thursday because lawmakers left out his universal preschool proposal.

Dayton says he'll provide more details Tuesday when he meets with House Speaker Kurt Daudt. He says Daudt and other legislative leaders he reached Saturday were interested but noncommittal.

"With his vetoes, he is rejecting bipartisan efforts to put more than $17 billion toward students in every classroom, provide resources to help farmers devastated by avian flu, send relief to miners facing unemployment on the iron range, among many other important reforms," Speaker Daudt said of the governor's budget vetoes in a press release.

Gov. Dayton says he wouldn't agree to the tax cut without a similar level of new education funding.

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