Dayton Floats Extra K-12 Funding in Sprint to Budget Deal

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota schools may get extra money from the state's final budget deal.

Governor Mark Dayton said Monday he'd like to give a 2% bump to the per-pupil funding formula for K-12 schools. That's more than double what was passed in the GOP-controlled House. Senate Democrats proposed 1% increases for the next two years.

The governor's comments come as he and top lawmakers try to hash out a budget deal ahead of the May 18 adjournment date.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk say they're open to increasing school funding. But Daudt says he needs to know how that extra funding would be covered.

Dayton says the additional money shouldn't nix his idea to implement preschool statewide. Lawmakers have been cool to that proposal.