Seventy-four school districts around Minnesota are wrapping up their first year of state-paid pre-kindergarten and officials say over three thousand children were enrolled. That program continues next year at the same 25-million-dollar funding level, and a like amount of new money is available for the next two years under the new “School Readiness Plus” program:

…Deputy state Education Commissioner Charlene Briner (BRY-ner). Republicans and Governor Mark Dayton agreed on the compromise program in contentious state budget negotiations.