Dayton outlines school improvement plan

DFL candidate Mark Dayton outlined a school improvement plan today Wednesday that he says would make him Minnesota's next education governor.

Standing outside a St. Paul elementary school, Dayton outlined a first-term agenda that he said would improve the quality of education for all students.

Dayton's 10-point plan includes lower class sizes, affordable early childhood education, an all-day kindergarten option and classroom technology upgrades.

But with the state facing a $5.8 billion budget shortfall, Dayton said his plan depends on available resources.

"The reason I want to raise revenues first and foremost is to improve the quality of education in Minnesota," he said. "We'll be looking for initiatives that don't require funding, and we'll look for dollars available as the biennium unfolds and the biennium after that to make these commitments."

A state Republican party official dismissed the proposal as a big promise with no money behind it.