Having trouble viewing this email?? [ [link removed] ]View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].






MR




*January 30, 2024*

Legislative Update

Wright Tech
Wright Tech Bonding Tour

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to tour the Wright Technical Center again, this time with members of the Senate bonding committee. I am the chief author for the bonding bill to try to save this school. Minnesota used to have 65 co-op schools, and Wright Tech is the last one remaining.

Wright Tech is a local vocational training cooperative that includes Annandale, Big Lake, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose, Delano, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Maple Lake, Monticello and St. Michael-Albertville school districts. It teaches the trades to local high school juniors and seniors, including early childhood and elementary studies, construction, health science, auto repair, welding, horticulture, law enforcement/emergency medical responders, cosmetology and graphic communications.

Because vocational cooperatives can't levy or bond, things have been incredibly difficult for Wright Tech, and the school has fallen into disrepair with numerous structural and safety concerns. I have chief-authored the $9.5 million bonding bill that would allow Wright Tech to keep its doors open. As I said [ [link removed] ] during the tour,

?This is the last school in the entire state of Minnesota that is a high school alternative technical school. We used to have 65 of them and now Wright Tech Center is the only one left. If this fails, then there will be a lot of students in Wright County that won?t get this education. Not only does industry need it, but the kids need it. They need the hands-on experience that is very difficult to get in high schools. This school is a model for Minnesota and if the bill fails, it?s really a tragedy for the whole state.?

I will fight hard for this bill to keep Minnesota's last vocational co-op alive and maintain this amazing choice for our local students.



Buffalo
Local Education Programs that Change Lives

On Monday, I toured two local programs that are changing lives for students here in Wright County. With Representative Patricia Mueller of Austin, Senator Eric Lucero of Saint Michael, and my husband Senator Jason Rarick, we toured the Phoenix Learning Center that's co-located in the Buffalo High School, and the wRight Choice program, for kids who have been expelled from school, co-located at the Wright County Judicial Center.



wRight Choice

Both of these local programs are very successful, and help at-risk youth stay in school and get on a path to success. With my colleagues in the legislature, we are researching what works and how to duplicate the success statewide. These are each incredible programs that could benefit students across the state.

Session Begins Soon

The 2024 legislative session begins on February 12, and I hope we can hit the ground running on the many fixes required by the bills that passed far too quickly last year. Things like the school resource officer law and the multiple tax bill mistakes need to be fixed as soon as possible to ensure that students and teachers are safe in schools and Minnesota taxpayers are not overcharged on their taxes.







Please Contact Me

As always, if you need assistance on an issue pertaining to state government or have concerns or ideas about legislation, my office is available to you. You can e-mail at [email protected] or call my office at 651-296-5063 [ tel:6512965063 ]. You can also write a letter to me. My office address at the Capitol is 357 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155.

MR












357 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.5063







________________________________________________________________________

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].

This service is provided to you at no charge by Minnesota House GOP [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Minnesota House GOP ? 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. ? Saint Paul, MN 55155 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]