NEW LONDON - Usually the New London-Spicer sixth-graders get to take a class trip to the state Capitol as part of their social studies curriculum.
But because the extensive renovation underway at the Capitol has closed the building for tours until 2017, the class got the next best thing - a photo walk-through of the project presented by Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, of Crown, and Rep. Dave Baker, of Willmar.
“We wanted to bring the Capitol to you,” said Baker, during a presentation Wednesday in the NLS Middle School library.
“It is one of the nicests of all of the capitols and the decision was made a couple years ago to renovate it to make sure it’s ready for the next 100 years,” Baker said. “We need to make sure it’s ready for your kids some day.”
After showing photos of the project that ranged from underground infrastructure improvements to the time-consuming, hand-painted rotunda ceiling, the Republican lawmakers gave the students a civics lesson on how government works and how bills are passed.
That was followed by suggestions from the students on bills they wanted Baker and Daudt to take back to the Capitol during the next legislative session.
“Can you pass a bill so there’s no school?” asked one boy.
It was a suggestion that was quickly, but politely, rejected by the lawmakers.
“Schools should have air conditioning,” said another student.
“Great idea,” said Baker, who used the opportunity to show students that sometimes an idea can have unexpected consequences.
“Then you can go to school all year-round,” Baker quipped.
While explaining the basics of how needs and wants of state residents should be balanced with tax money that’s collected and spent, Baker said much of the state’s tax revenues go “right here back to the schools.”
Baker also urged the kids to encourage their parents to vote and make sure their “voice” is heard.
That message to vote - as well as the presentation about the Capitol renovation - was especially poignant considering that NLS School District voters will go to the polls Nov. 3 to vote on a $21.6 million proposal to build a performing arts center and gym and the high school/middle school and additional classrooms at the elementary school.
“What I’ve seen of it, I think it sounds really well put together,” Baker said in a brief interview about the NLS proposal.
“I think it’s great that a local community wants to come together and offer this to their local taxpayers,” he said.
Baker said he hopes recently passed legislation addressing deferred maintenance, which gives school districts more funding flexibility, can be “tweaked” to help districts such as NLS that do not qualify for some funding options that other districts do.
He said New London-Spicer is “being penalized because of the high property tax values” that affect the funding formula and prevent the district from using deferred maintenance options in the same way as large metro schools and smaller rural schools can.
Baker and Daudt also toured the Rice Care Center in Willmar and met with several businesses Wednesday to discuss broadband Internet issues.
Because the federal government is funneling about $86 million to Minnesota this year for broadband, Daudt said it’s an “exciting” time for Internet expansion.
He said he expects the state to increase broadband funding to help expand high-speed Internet to underserved areas.
