Claim
Tom Emmer’s budget cuts $1.8 billion from education spending.
Source
- Alliance For a Better Minnesota television commercial
Fact
Once again the Alliance For a Better Minnesota (ABM), a DFL and family front group for Senator Mark Dayton, releases a whopper of an ad. After receiving an “F” grade from KSTP in one of their earlier ads, they are out with a new spot trying to beat that grade by lying about Tom Emmer’s budget and policy plans for education.
“ABM seems to be sending a mixed message to the voters and children of Minnesota. Education is important, but facts and honesty are not,” said Emmer Campaign Manager Cullen Sheehan. “Tom Emmer is not slashing education funding. To the contrary, he is increasing state spending by $500 million in the next biennium. Humorously, they tout Mark Dayton’s education plan and attack Tom for being honest with Minnesotans about the need to delay repayment of the school shift. A fact that even their preferred candidate has recognized and flip flopped on. After saying he would increase K-12 funding ‘no excuses, no exceptions,’ Senator Mark Dayton is now saying the delayed repayment is likely needed, a fact which Tom Emmer recognized when he released his balanced budget.”
Additionally, the woman in ABM’s ad goes on to tout the wonderful proposals in Mark Dayton’s education plan including reducing class sizes, all day Kindergarten and keeping good teachers. The problem is her math, much like Senator Dayton’s, doesn’t add up. Senator Dayton already has a $1 billion dollar hole in his second budget proposal (we’re still waiting for try three) and doesn’t mention how he will pay for the new items, which by some estimates would be an additional cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
“There doesn’t seem to be a tax that ABM, its supporters or Mark Dayton don’t like. They maxed out the income tax on the backs of the middle class, started new state sponsored casinos, increased enforcement on taxpayers and they’re at least $1 billion short. How much more damage can they do?” asked Sheehan.
“The bottom line: Minnesotans want a Governor who will not tax the middle class and make government live within its means. Tom Emmer has provided an honest budget to do just that. It’s time for Mark Dayton and Tom Horner to do the same,” added Sheehan.
| TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO | SCREEN TEXT | A.B.M.’s LIES |
| I want my children to achieve everything they can. And I count on Minnesota’s schools to help them. | ||
| That’s why I’m worried about Tom Emmer’s education plan. | ||
| It would slash school funding, cutting programs our children need to succeed. | Tom Emmer’s Plan: $1.8 billion in education cuts. SOURCE: Minnesota Office of Management and Budget, June 2010 | LIE #1: Tom Emmer’s budget plan provides for funding K-12 education in FY 2012-13 at $13.836 billion, an increase of a half-billion dollars over the current General Fund appropriation of $13.336 billion.
LIE #2: The “$1.8 billion…in cuts” refers to the shift in state aid payments. Mark Dayton recently flip flopped and said that he would also consider delaying repayment just as Tom Emmer has proposed. |
| Doesn’t Emmer know that good schools are the key to creating jobs and rebuilding our economy? Mark Dayton does. | LIE #3: Yes, in fact, Tom Emmer does know that quality education is critical to Minnesota’s economic vitality. This question-turned-into-an-accusation is blatantly false. Tom Emmer is calling for K-12 funding to be increased but also demands overdue reforms to improve student achievement. | |
| He’s fighting to reduce class size… | Mark Dayton’s Plan to Reduce Class Size SOURCE: StarTribune 9/22/2010 | LIE #4: The only thing Mark Dayton is fighting is fiscal reality and his own ineptitude at budget arithmetic. He calls for funding increases but (a) has an unfixed billion-dollar hole in his second (!) budget plan, (b) admits that he has no source for new funding, and (c) concedes that reduced class sizes are merely a goal. |
| …fund all-day Kindergarten… | Mark Dayton’s Plan: Support All-Day Kindergarten SOURCE: StarTribune 9/22/2010 | LIE #5: See funding Lie #4 above. |
| …and pay teachers what they’re worth. | Mark Dayton’s Plan: Keep Good teachers SOURCE: StarTribune 9/22/2010 | LIE #6: See funding Lie #4 above. Tom Emmer’s Education plan calls for evaluating teachers and rewarding those that excel. |
| Mark Dayton will invest in our schools, so our children and our economy can thrive. | Mark Dayton can promise the moon, but he still has no plan to pay for it. |
