How would you propose to address the significant financial difficulties of many school districts?

State aid for schools needs to be a top priority for the State Senate.  We currently have a system where the state provides most of the money to each school district and the local districts settle union contracts and set the budget for their district.  Currently, 40 to 50 percent of the State of Minnesota’s budget of $34.6 billion is spent on K-12 education and it continues to be insufficient even in times of declining enrollment.  Before considering any new programs of funding in other budget areas, we need to ensure that our classrooms are getting the resources that they need.  We need to also look at unnecessary and unfunded mandates that use up funds.  Some of these mandates may need to be repealed.  Clearly, more control of school districts should be up to the local levels controlled by the locally elected school board not the State.

What specific economic policies would you support to create and retain jobs that pay well and keep the economy strong?

The first thing that we need to recognize and accept that it is the private sector that creates jobs, wealth and prosperity; it’s not the government.  During the past couple of decades we have seen a significant job growth occurring in government jobs.   Starting with the State of Minnesota, it is now the largest employer in the state followed by the University of Minnesota.  We must build a positive business climate in Minnesota.  In order to do so we cannot be among the top in the nation in terms of corporate tax rates (9.25%) this ranks us 8th in the nation.  Other negatives that work against private sector businesses is our Workers Compensation rates and the sales tax rates.  We must cut taxes to make Minnesota a friendly place to run a business which in turn will create new jobs.  We must also look at our inherent strengths and build on those strengths.

One of the areas we can do this is in the area of bio-science through great Minnesota institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota which are leading the way in terms of scientific discovery in the area of medical genomics.

Here are some other ways we can encourage a good business environment in the state:

1. Business expansion tax credit for businesses that derive 65% or more of their Minnesota income from sales or sources outside of Minnesota.
2. Energy tax credit program for businesses and individuals who invest in the development, production and distribution of renewable sources of energy.
3. Tax credits for individuals who own single or multi-family home businesses that make improvements to their home or business that reduces some defined percentage of energy consumption.
   

These are just some of the things that the state could do to encourage Minnesota residents and businesses to invest in Minnesota.  This will encourage new businesses, expand the tax base and retain and grow jobs for Minnesota residents.