Governor Mark Dayton says 61-hundred four-year-olds will attend state-paid pre-kindergarten this fall — but about nine thousand won’t have state help to do it because Republicans would not agree to sufficient funding. Dayton says, “We don’t have enough money to fund nine-thousand-one-hundred four-year-olds in preschool, and we’re giving tax cuts for premium cigars?” Dayton says additional funding for pre-K programs will “certainly be a very high priority” for him in the next legislative session, but how much money is available depends on the budget forecast. Republicans argue targeted pre-K programs are more effective than blanket funding — and they say in times of surplus Minnesotans should get some of their money back through tax cuts.