ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton released a $42 billion budget Tuesday that puts a heavy emphasis on education for the youngest Minnesota residents, leaving advocates for nursing homes, local governments and tax breaks to grab for a legislative lifeline in bids for state money.

His two-year proposal is the opening move in a chess match over state spending that will play out for months among Dayton, a Republican-led House and a Democratic-controlled Senate. The debate revolves largely over a projected $1 billion surplus that gives lawmakers a chance to try new things, beef up existing programs, send money back to taxpayers or, most likely, some combination of the three.

Dayton wants much of the surplus devoted to subsidized preschool programs for 4-year-olds, free school breakfasts for an estimated 83,000 more children, reading readiness initiatives, increased per-pupil allowances and extra college aid grants. His voluntary pre-kindergarten plan would allow 31,000 kids to attend free, high-quality programs at a state cost of $109 million alone.

“So over half of this surplus goes into our future,” Dayton said, “into the young people that will comprise the future of Minnesota.”

To make room, Dayton set aside relatively few new dollars to boost reimbursements to nursing homes or aid to local governments — two areas that were big winners in the previous two-year state budget of $39.4 billion. And his centerpiece tax cut is a child-care credit that will go to 92,000 more families at a cost of $100 million.