Minnesota Senate Republicans spent the 2022 legislative session fighting for Minnesota’s students. The Senate’s first education bill aimed to reverse Minnesota’s chronically foundering literacy scores. The legislation instructed school boards to develop a public, accountable plan that will achieve 90% reading proficiency by third grade; delivers funding to provide all Minnesota teachers with indispensable training in the science of reading instruction; removes the burdensome, unsuccessful “World’s Best Workforce” mandate that has failed; and refocuses Regional Centers of Excellence to prioritize literacy.
Throughout end-of-session negotiations, Senate Republicans continuously presented serious offers that attempted to broker a true compromise with House Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz, but in return repeatedly received counter-offers that included significant controversial policies that lacked bipartisan support. As a result, legislators were unable to pass an education bill.
“Literacy funding. Special education funding. Funding for more cops on the streets. Massive tax relief for working Minnesotans. Minnesotans lost out on all of it for one reason, and one reason only: Gov. Walz and House Democrats refused to move off of their most extreme positions,” Sen. Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes). “Republicans supported funding for police. We supported tax cuts for working Minnesotans. We supported nursing homes, students, and teachers. Democrats said no, plain and simple.”
The Senate’s focus on literacy and special education come on the heels of historic education bills that have funded K-12 schools, including $18.6 billion in total education funding in 2017, 2% annual student formula increases in 2019, and $1.1 billion in funding increases in 2021 – including the largest formula growth in 15 years.
Notable education provisions offered by Senate Republicans that were rejected by Democrats and Gov. Walz
- $912 million for the special education cross-subsidy
- $42.5 million for LETRS training for teachers to learn the science of reading instruction
- $2.1 million for regional literacy support directors at Regional Centers of Excellence
- $3.6 million for expanded literacy and data collection
- $15 million for the mental health innovative grant program
- $25 million for early learning scholarships