| Dayton's
Bluff District
Forum March
2006
Volume 19, No. 1 |
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| What Future for E. 7th Street? By Karin DuPaul Come to a meeting for Dayton’s Bluff residents to look at and discuss what East 7th Street should look like in the years to come. This will be a visioning and dreaming opportunity for residents who live in the area. The meeting will be in the Eco room on the 3rd floor of the Metropolitan State University/Dayton’s Bluff Library, 645 East 7th Street on Thursday, March 9, 2006, 6:30 p.m.
In October a similar meeting, the East 7th Street Vision Workshop for business owners, was held at Metropolitan State U. Business owners expressed what they liked, did not like, and what they felt would improve the business climate in Dayton’s Bluff. Before the October meeting fifty-seven of the sixty-three current businesses along East 7th responded to a survey. When asked how they would rate East 7th as a place for business, 83 percent said it is good, average or excellent. So we are lucky that most of the businesses feel that it is a good area to do business. The ones who felt the location is poor stated that there is limited parking, and are concerned about crime, safety, and the poor appearance of some buildings. All of this will be discussed at the meeting. Come to the meeting and help plan for East 7th Street’s future. For more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call 651-772-2075. Neighborhood Honor Roll
Celebration
Cheryl "Charlie" Golden started a block club on East 4th Street in 1998 and she has been active in our Good Neighbor Code Enforcement Program and crime preservation in her area. She has also helped with Greening Dayton’s Bluff projects. Joan Rodriguez started the 654 Block in 1996. Deanna Layer restarted the Beech/Margaret Block Club in 1997. Joan and Deanna combined the 2 groups and became co-leaders of the Beech/Margaret 654 Block. Their group has been meeting for 10 years. They have partnered with Bethlehem Lutheran Church and hold their meetings at the church. They also host a very nice National Night Out event each year in the church parking lot. They have taken care of problem properties on Beech, Margaret, and East 6th Street and helped renters improve the looks of their property by helping them plant perennials in their front yards. They have an annual potluck in March as well as other activities throughout the year.
We look for three people to add to the Honor Roll each year. We are asking for your help. If you know of someone who has volunteered for years in the neighborhood, at a church, school or elsewhere, let us know and we will add them to the list of candidates. Email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075. Neighborhood Newspaper Needs Your Help By Steve Trimble The price of almost everything has gone up and the cost of producing a paper is no exception. The Dayton’s Bluff District Forum has never asked for donations before, but there’s a first time for everything. If you value having a monthly newspaper full of local news, specialty articles, announcements and other community-building efforts, we hope you will consider sending in a tax-deductible donation. Any amount, large or small, will be welcome. We’ll publish your name as a supporter (unless you want to stay anonymous) and anyone who sends in at least twenty-five dollars will be given a free gift subscription that can be mailed to a friend or former resident who now lives outside of Dayton’s Bluff. Checks should be made payable to Dayton’s Bluff District Forum. Mail to: District Forum c/o Karin DuPaul 798 East Seventh Street St. Paul, MN 55106. "Hmong! The CIA's Secret Army" The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) presents the play “HMONG! The CIA’s Secret Army” at the Mounds Theatre this March and April. Every immigrant population has a compelling story behind their travels, transitions, their homeland and traditions, but the one thing that separates the Hmong-experience from the rest is their direct tie as U.S. allies during the Vietnam War. While many Americans understand that the Hmong are refugees from the Vietnam War, few understand the depth of the relationship that the Hmong had with the CIA and the US government. “Hmong! The CIA’s Secret Army: is a powerful play that tells the war-torn love story of a 13-year-old Hmong boy named Meng Thao who was recruited by the CIA to fight the secret wars of Laos. He is separated from his family and his beloved girlfriend Pa Vang. Meng, caught in a war he does not understand, wants nothing more than to return to his beloved Pa. It is a story of love, family, war and ultimately, immigration to Saint Paul. Details: When: March 18 - April 15 Tuesdays: 9 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays: 7 p.m. Thursdays: 9 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Fridays: 8 p.m. Saturdays: 8 p.m. Sundays: 2 p.m. & 6 p.m. Where: Mounds Theatre, 1029 Hudson Road, Saint Paul, MN 55106 Tickets: $12 Adults; $8 Youth (12 and under) Group rates available. Please call 651-644-6969 for reservations. For more information visit www.aboutchat.org or www.moundstheatre.org. Men Explore Midlife at
Benedictine Center Once they reach middle age, men may begin to question
the purpose of their lives. They have mastered all their goals
and realize their achievements do not make them happy. Or they
may realize they’ll never meet their goals and wonder if their lives
have any meaning. Improving the Quality and Quantity of Green Space Wednesday, March 15, 7-9 p.m. Hamline’s Law & Graduate Schools Building, Rm 106, 1492 Hewitt Ave. Clean Water Stewardship ***NOTE: NEW TIME/LOCATION: Tues, Mar 14, 7-9 p.m. South Saint Anthony Recreation Center, 890 Cromwell Avenue Clean Water Stewardship (Eastside meeting) Tuesday, April 4, 7-9 p.m. MN Humanities Commission, 987 East Ivy Avenue The Saint Paul Environmental Roundtable is the next step being pursued to make Saint Paul a greener, healthier and more enjoyable place in which to live, work, and play. Everyone is encouraged to attend the meetings where Saint Paul residents who are volunteers on the Roundtable present relevant information about a local environmental topic. Those who attend can ask questions, give feedback, learn about the current environmental conditions and find opportunities to take action. Final Roundtable recommendations are slated to be delivered to the Saint Paul City Council in April. Community input is not just part of this process; it is the reason for this process, so feedback on all current and past topics is welcome and encouraged. Draft recommendations are available on the website: www.eurekarecycling.org/environmentalroundtable or by calling (651) 222-7678. Eureka Recycling, a nonprofit that has worked with the city of Saint Paul on recycling and resource conservation issues for over two decades, convened the Roundtable to focus citizen and political attention on a variety of citywide environmental issues. The Saint Paul Environmental Roundtable is sponsored in part by: Abitibi Consolidated, Aveda, City Council Member Lee Helgen, the City of Saint Paul Public Works Department, DeRuyter Associates, Impressive Print, Industrial Electric Company, IPS Incorporated, Peace Coffee, Saint Anthony Park Community Foundation, Western Bank and numerous other community sponsors. For more information about the Roundtable, call (651) 222-7678 or visit www.eurekarecycling.org/environmentalroundtable. Start Your Own Business -
Dayton's Bluff Entrepreneur Class Class training lasts approximately 16 weeks and includes topics such as operations management, marketing, financial management, one-to-one assistance with creating a successful business, and preparing a business plan. Those who complete the course and locate their businesses in target neighborhoods are eligible for ongoing business support services. Some of the businesses that people who took the course have started include graphics, photography, food service, restoration of wood furniture and works of art, and custom floral design for weddings. The course is sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Neighborhood Development Center. There is a small registration fee based on a sliding fee scale. The next session will start in March and class size is limited. Please call Karin at 772-2075 for an application. Dayton's Bluff Community Meeting The next Dayton’s Bluff Community Meeting will be on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at 798 East 7th Street at 6:30 pm. Bob Kessler will be back at the March meeting to give us an update on 10 properties with code issues. Everyone in Dayton’s Bluff is invited to attend the Community Meetings. The purpose of the meetings are to help block clubs and neighborhood residents work on problem properties, both nuisance behavior and code enforcement issues, as well as other neighborhood issues, concerns, and improvements. At previous meetings we have had members of the Saint Paul Police Department Gang Unit, graffiti expert Meredith Vogland, and Bob Kessler, the new Director of Housing and Property Improvement, discuss issues and problems in Dayton’s Bluff. Please come or call with your problem addresses. Starting in April the meeting date is changing to the first Thursday of each month. If you need more information call Karin at 651-772-2075. Community Council Year in
Review By Stephanie Harr Moveable type had probably as much of an influence on humanity as the wheel, and some today are talking about blogs as having a similar impact that moveable type once did. For those that aren’t familiar, “blog” is short for “web log”, an online journal, kept by individuals mostly, and sometimes by organizations and groups. A lot of blogs today are public postings of private opinions, thoughts and experiences—sometimes a little too private, perhaps. Some find it surprising that there are still people out there that don’t know what a blog is, let alone have one, but there are still many people who either don’t have a computer or are not yet hooked up to the internet. We can’t all be early adapters. But for the most part, there are more and more budding writers starting blogs every day, and once you begin to explore the blogosphere it can become as much a part of your day as reading the paper. The really great thing about blogs is that they are, for the most part, free. Free of cost (other than your usual internet fees), free of an editor’s oversight, free in terms of direction one can take it and free to read. With a blog, information of any kind can be distributed to anyone with a connected computer and the address of the blog, for reasons both good and bad. With good reasons in mind, a neighborhood blog has been established to inform, entertain, organize and educate our local community. Ideas and thoughts, concerns and suggestions can be posted and shared easily by anyone with computer access by going to this address: http://www. daytons-bluff.journalspace.com/. The hope is that our blog can become a lively place to keep up with events in Dayton’s Bluff, as well as promote ideas and actions to improve our neighborhood. Concerns such as funding for schools, police and fire; crime in the neighborhood; block clubs; arts events; parties; garage sales; problem properties and so forth can be posted, viewed and discussed easily. What is needed now is your participation. The neighborhood blog has been up for about a month, and despite initial interest from many neighbors, is still lacking in utilization. Anyone can read it, and if you would like to be able to post on it, send a private message, via the blog’s website to either Bob Parker or Karin DuPaul for instructions on how to become a contributor to http://www.daytons-bluff.journalspace.com/. By June Bennett Let’s talk about the Animal Ark. Located at 809 E. 7th Street, The Animal Ark Thrift and Pet Shop raises money to help support their shelter in Hastings for homeless animals. The shelter has adopted out almost 1,000 animals in the past year. Ms. Foote states, “We have been very fortunate because there has not been enough money to cover everything in the past. But because of our good fiscal year in 2005, this year is starting off wonderfully. Why in these last four months we have improved beautifully.” The Animal Ark works mainly with abandoned animals in and around the area but last year they helped out with animals stranded by hurricane Katrina. Some of the animals were pregnant at the time so you know what that means – puppies and kittens looking for new homes. The Animal Ark has a radio program that airs on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on 950 (AM) and also 1460 (AM). It talks about taking care of your pets and many other concerns you may have. The Animal Ark Thrift store has reasonable prices and you will be amazed at what you may find. Every week there is a 20% discount on a certain item. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Saturday. Donations accepted 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Saturday. Once again the address is: 809 E. 7th St. and the phone number is 651-772-8983. “We at Animal Ark want to take this time and thank the community for making this store a success. Bring in this article and received a 20% discount on all items.” A Short History of
Dayton's Bluff Chapter #6: Hard Times, Changing Lives 1930-1939 A substantial and steadily increasing betterment in business conditions during 1930 is predicted by a majority of businesses of the East District. East Side Journal, January 3, 1930 In spite of the optimistic prediction by the local neighbor-hood newspaper, the 1930’s did not prove to be a time of prosperity. It was the era of the Great Depression and brought hardships to many. The hard times started to hit the community early. In August, 1930, city and county officials announced in the East Side Journal that they would be asking for a fifty per cent increase in the relief budget for the next year. “The problem of increasing poverty will have to be faced,” one of them explained, “and there is no escape from it.” Many people ended up losing their jobs and their homes. Many businesses closed or cut back. Some people were able to find work through government programs. The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) offered employment on building projects, including the limestone walls that still stand today in Mounds Park and along Commercial Street. Even with the flagging economy, a few major improvements came to Dayton’s Bluff. One of the most awaited was a new Third Street Bridge. At the grand opening on November 16, 1930, lines of cars were waiting. When the barriers were removed at six in the evening, a paper said, “hundreds of cars, bearing workers homeward, surged forward and sped up the pavement spanning the railroad tracks to Mounds Boulevard.” It had been a long time coming. As early as the Twenties, Local businesses and organizations promoted a new bridge and petitioned the city council for a better third street route into downtown. A few years later, a group called the “East Side Associated” met and called for “an early start to give…residents another good artery into the loop, the time for action is at hand.” Eventually they prevailed, and work on the project began on March 31, 1930, cheered on by a new group called the United Improvement Council. However, in June there was a delay. The contractor had earlier agreed to use only St. Paul residents, but five Mill City men were discovered on the job. After a bit of debate they were sent home and their place filled with local workers. The 3,114-foot structure had cost over a million dollars. One local leader said “the new viaduct will serve to bind the Dayton’s Bluff district more closely than ever to the rest of St. Paul” and would “aid materially in the economic development of this section by providing another and more direct route to the heart of the city.” However, not everyone felt the bridge had been a blessing. Mrs. J.J. Ryan appeared at a city meeting in January, 1931 and complained that a number of the residents below the new bridge now had to live in homes that were left facing the base of viaduct pillars. They “could not speak English fluently,” Mrs. Ryan explained, didn’t understand legal procedure “and consequently had been imposed upon by city officials.” There was also a major construction project on East Seventh Street. People thought it needed to be widened to accommodate the interaction of streetcar and automobile and increase in traffic. Like the Third Street Bridge, this effort was undertaken after considerable debate and lobbying. By June, 1930 a paper reported that, “a new property line along the street has been established by the condemnation of property along the north side of the thoroughfare.” Will be expanded to 56 feet wide and will include ”ornamental lighting.” This meant the destruction of some buildings and the remodeling of the storefronts of others. To help bring in new businesses, the Dayton’s Bluff Commercial Club, was planning to set up a “bureau of publicity.” Then they launched what was called an “industrial expansion project.” The minutes of one monthly meeting said the Club was striving to “encourage the establishment of industries in the East District.” While the company was certainly affected by the Depression, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (today’s 3M) remained one of the largest employers in the community. The heart of its business was the making and marketing of sandpaper and masking tape. Then, at the outset of the decade, Richard Drew came up with a discovery that would have a major affect on “The Mining,” as old timers called it. Building on his earlier invention of masking tape, he found a way to place an adhesive on cellophane, and created “Scotch Tape.” Starting in 1931 it would be marketed throughout the country. One of the aspects of the hard economic times was the takeover of area business by regional and national corporations. In 1930, the Mounds Park Bank, that started out at Maria and Conway in 1916, became an affiliate of the North West Bank Corporation. In another case, local Tri State phone company was bought out by Northwestern Bell, a move was opposed by the local business people who met with the City Council to see if anything could be done. It couldn’t. The year 1933 was a double landmark-one positive and one negative- for the Hamm family. On April 6, 1933, after more than a decade, prohibition came to an end and alcoholic beverages could again be legally purchased. Hamm’s, which had survived by making malt, soft drinks and other products geared up for beer. Crowds converged outside the brewery, even though it was windy and cold, they came to watch. They were waiting for the whistle blast that would proclaim the end of prohibition, the first time 3.2 beer could legally be made since 1919. At 12:01, April 7th, horns honked, whistles blew sirens wailed and shouts arose from the crowd. It was estimated that by 6 A.M., 100,000 cases of beers had been shipped off. Two months later, on a warm summer evening, William Hamm, Jr. had just left his office and was walking to his Greenbrier home when he was grabbed by four men and pushed into the back of a car. He had been kidnapped by members of the Barker-Karpis Gang. Hamm was taken to Wisconsin, where he was forced to sign four ransom notes then moved to a hideout in Illinois, were he was held prisoner until the kidnappers had been paid $100,000. He was released unharmed near Wyoming, Minnesota, but the event had a long-term psychological affect on him and the family. Social and cultural activities during the 1930’s were numerous and, as before, often centered around community institutions, such as schools. Possibly because of the effects of the economic hard times, programs often included information on children’s health. In the Spring of 1930, the Mounds Park PTSA had a “Health in Toyland” event. There was a program and exhibit at the monthly meeting. Miss Agnes Larson, nutrition teacher, gave a talk on undernourished children. Van Buren focused on proper food at home and in the schools. Interested in the health of children, the principal and one of the teachers started a “Nutrition Clinic” where “undernourished children could get a good balanced noon lunch and after it have a certain regular period of rest.” Even in the distant past, there was concern for what kids did after school. In 1930, Miss Ruth Alice Smith opened a playground for pre-school and kindergarten children in her back yard at 741 East Fifth. The paper described it as a combination outdoor nursery and playground “where mothers can leave their children for an entire afternoon” on all days except Sunday from12:30-5:30. Churches continued their social activities and appear to have had good turnouts. One weekend, Miss Vada Van Vore and Richard Norman played leading roles in a three act comedy given by the Senior Walter League at Our Saviors Lutheran Church. Like other neighborhood churches the Peace United Church struggled during the Depression but decided to fund a construction project. The parish paper sent out pledge envelopes. Money-raising ventures included a washing powder sale, sale of vanilla and holders, a bazaar, a Christmas card sale, a silver tea, a Mother-Daughter banquet, which earned a profit of $4.13. Finally, a new parsonage was built in 1935. At one point a dispute arose over the use of non-union labor, which brought protests from at least one labor-oriented member of the congregation. There was some picketing and construction was stalled until September, but after some negotiations, the structure was completed in January. Playground use increased in the 1930’s. They were open to everyone and almost all programs were free. In some cases, W. P. A. workers were added to the staff at the centers to help with the larger numbers. The local American Legion had a well attended event at Bluff playground in 1930 that featured carnival dog races and fireworks In 1930 the Margaret Recreation Center held its tenth annual summer Festival. Hundreds of people came to see the decorated doll buggy and coaster parades and to listen to music played by an area orchestra. A queen was crowned and there was a “mock wedding.” According to the Margaret Recreation Center 1934 record books, well over 1,000 people were involved in club and classroom work and another 1,000 had occasional contact at the center. Classes including fencing, dramatics, puppetry, drawing and dancing classes, and dozens of social clubs with up to a hundred members. So-called “idle youth” were encouraged to join “unemployed leagues.” Over on the other end of the neighborhood, the eighty member Mounds Park Booster Club would raise money selling Boo-ya at a picnic. One time they had a “for men only” meeting in Fleschmann’s basement at 1070 Hastings raising money for men’s and women’s athletics that advertised free beer. In addition to the city playgrounds, East District Recreation Council now located at 792 East Seventh, continued the work it began a decade earlier. It reported in 1930 that 478 children-313 boys and 165 girls-were enrolled. There were nine regular classes and sixteen clubs with nine special teachers and seven volunteer club leaders. They had hikes, swimming trips, and various classes ranging from music to crafts. Throughout the 1930’s, the Dayton’s Bluff Commercial Club continued to have their own activities, including hosting wrestling events. They also others use their facilities. By this time, the leadership of the group had slowly shifted from an older elite to local small businessmen.
Movies continued to be a popular past time. The Radio Theater at 1195 East Seventh, which had closed for a time, opened again in the fall of 1931 under new ownership of Donald Guttman. It had been refitted with new sound and projection equipment. There would be lots of variety with four changes weekly. Admission was from ten cents to a quarter “Gift Night” was set for every Tuesday. The hard economic times accelerated the transition of Dayton’s Bluff from an upper to a middle and working class area. By the 1920’s most of the elite had already left, and in the Thirties the trend continued. Many of the large, older homes were divided into boarding houses. The Hamm family decided to donate the use of their family home at 668 Greenbrier to the Community Chest. It was used as the East Side Relief Center and often had long lines of poor people who came for public assistance. The Hamm’s finally sold the home in 1934, and it began a career as a boarding house. The Dayton’s Bluff Booster, a local newspaper, gives an idea of some of changes. One classified section in 1938 included “For Rent: Pleasant furnished room in private home for 1 or 2 employed girls, home privileges, 687 E. 5th… For rent: Large front room for 1 or 2. 372 Maria… For Rent: Furnished 1 rm and kitchenette, 248 Bates…For rent Dayton’s Bluff, furnished sleeping room, man preferred.” One of the Bluff’s celebrated structures of the era—although a temporary one—was the ice palace of 1938. It was very simple in its construction, and was really only a facade with a 100 by 300 foot skating rink. Colonnades of ice topped with thirty foot high poles flying pennants ran along both sides of the rink. Located in the Mounds Park area, the facade of the completed palace was made of two large semicircular disks composed of ice blocks. One stood 60 feet high, the other 50 feet high. It was said that the lighting used as much electricity in ten days as a town of 7,000 inhabitants normally required in a year.
In spite of a decade of hard times, the neighborhood persisted though it did change. Even at the end of the Great Depression, the Dayton’s Bluff Booster listed most of the business in the area in 1939, and it showed a self-reliant and sustainable community. There were over forty grocery or confectionary stores, eighteen gas stations, nine drug stores, twenty-eight bars, almost twenty barbers, ten restaurants and cafes, and half a dozen bakeries. Dayton’s Bluff Greetings from SPPD Eastern District. My name is Officer Jamie Sipes. I’ve been a member of the St. Paul Police for the last six years and have been primarily assigned to the Eastern District. Recently, Senior Commander Bill Martinez asked me to take on the assignment as the Dayton’s Bluff Beat Officer. In continuing Chief John Harrington’s commitment to Community Oriented/Community Problem Policing, Senior Commander Martinez asked me to reach out to the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and its residents to ensure the needs of the community are met.
Please remember, we only have space for a couple of questions in each issue and that I am not able to address specific issues in a public forum but I will answers questions relating to crime trends and offer crime prevention tips. If you have an upcoming meeting or event please let me know and I will make every effort to attend. For now, take care, treat each other with respect, and I look forward to working with you. For more information call Karin at 651-772-2075.
Amazing Grace Assembly of God
Continuity
and Change at Leo's Chow Mein By Steve
Trimble
Leo was born in a farming family in China. They
moved to
Hong Kong when he was “real little.” His father eventually came to
Minnesota and Leo followed in 1971. ECFE
Goes to the Children's Museum By Diane May
The same can be said of Early
Childhood Family
Education (ECFE) and on the evening of Thursday, February 2, Dayton’s
Bluff ECFE reserved the entire museum for its participants. We
had no lines, a lot of friendly and familiar faces, and the confidence
that we were surrounded by a lot of supportive parents and ECFE staff
members. St. Paul Schools Need Solution, Not Gimmick By State Senator Mee MouaWith the 2006 legislative session slated to start March 1, lawmakers are beginning to compile a list of issues likely to arise this year. One item receiving attention is a proposal touted by the governor and House Republicans, requiring school districts to spend 70 percent of all education dollars they receive directly on classroom programs. At first blush, the “70 percent solution” seems to be a logical proposal. Schools should make it a priority to fund programs that directly affect students before spending money on outlying costs. But what many people are surprised to learn is St. Paul schools already meet this 70 percent threshold. In fact, according to the governor’s own statistics, school districts throughout the state spend an average of 69.2 percent of the funding they receive on classroom programs. Even with Minnesota’s above-average rate of investment in classrooms, schools continue to face challenges such as swelling class sizes, dwindling teacher resources and reduced course offerings. So what, exactly, is the governor intending to fix with his new proposal? The reality is that the 70-percent plan does little to get at the core of our state’s educational needs. The issue is not where school districts are spending their money; it is how much is available to distribute. In December 2005, a report called “Continuing the Work of the Governor’s Education Funding Reform Task Force” showed Minnesota was $1 billion short in funding education in 2003-2004. Although the 2005 legislature attempted to gain ground on this shortfall by approving a funding increase, the new money will do little to make up for three years of frozen funding and massive cuts to special education, ELL, integration and compensatory aids. St. Paul schools are facing yet another round of budget reductions in 2006 because they have been forced to balance state cuts to certain programs with soaring costs brought on by inflation, energy costs and health-care expenses. As a senator representing St. Paul, I believe the legislature must take a comprehensive view of our schools’ needs in 2006 and pursue real, substantial reform that will fill in the holes left during the past several budget cycles. The first fact we must address is that St. Paul’s student population is diverse. The state must provide adequate funding to programs that ensure each and every student has high-quality educational opportunities. In particular, full funding of special-education services is a must. State and federal funding have been woefully low in previous years, causing the district to subsidize special education by $23.7 million in 2003-2004 and leaving many students without the vital learning resources they require and class sizes that are soaring out of control. In addition, the state must extend the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) revenue from five years to at least seven. Research shows that limited-English students need seven to 10 years of support to gain academic proficiency—a key step toward ensuring every student gains the literacy skills necessary to become contributing members of Minnesota. The legislature should also prioritize continued funding for inter- and intra-district integration revenue, and budgets for Adult Basic Education programs must be increased. The state also must restore its commitment to support children before they enter school. Funding for school-readiness programs for three- and four-year-old students and Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) programs has been drastically cut in previous years. As a result, many children are missing out on the chance to get a good start in life by entering kindergarten ready to learn. I will be working diligently with St. Paul school leaders and other legislators during the 2006 session to promote these education proposals. In the end, I believe the governor and I share the same goal—to enhance student achievement across the board. But we need real solutions that are proven to deliver results if we are to sustain Minnesota’s high-quality education system. State Senator Mee Moua may be contacted by mail at 235 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606; E-mail: sen.mee.moua@senate.mn; or Phone: (651) 296-5285
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