Source: Star Tribune
Author: Tony Kennedy
“Minnesota’s “No Child Left Inside” legislation had its detractors earlier this year, including lawmakers who disliked the naming similarity to “No Child Left Behind,” the signature education reform of President George W. Bush.
But the $1.2 million grant program opened last week with an explosion of interest from around the state.
“Call it Merry Christmas if you want … it was a really good idea,” said state Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen of Alexandria, a key Republican on natural resources issues.
Phase One of No Child Left Inside kicked off at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Within just a few minutes, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received a couple hundred grant applications. At 2:40 p.m., with DNR outreach coordinator Jeff Ledermann overwhelmed by nearly 350 proposals, the window was closed.
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