Friends and neighbors,
Every year we had the majority, Republicans invested heavily in schools. My first year in the Senate was 2017. That year, we approved nearly $19 billion in education funding. The next budget cycle, we did 2% annual increases to the funding formula – a top ask of education groups. In 2021, we increased funding for education by $1.1 billion, including the largest formula growth in more than a decade.
With a $19 billion surplus before factoring for inflation, there was a bipartisan expectation and commitment this session to make sure schools have the resources they need.
The proposals presented by the two parties were vastly different, however.
Republicans introduced a plan that we called ‘Students First’. It was pretty straightforward. It focuses on key points that teachers and school officials are clamoring for – things that directly assist students and address education shortfalls:
- A 5% increase on the formula each year
- $1 billion to help schools pay for special education
- $100 million to fund literacy programs
- $200 million for “Safe Schools” initiatives
Literacy is among the most critical challenges we face. Last August, the Department of Education released assessment results that showed students are consistently failing to meet standards in virtually every key subject area. Minnesota student reading proficiency has fallen to only 51%. With a $100 million investment, we can get students back on track.
Schools are also required to provide special education services, but neither state funding nor federal funding covers the costs. So districts have been scrambling for years to pay for them on their own, but they are at the limit. We proposed $1 billion to provide schools some relief and help pay for these critical services.
In contrast is the Democrats’ plan. Their bill does include another historic investment in the formula – a 4% increase in the first year and 2% in the second year. This is less than what Republicans proposed but still helpful.
The larger issue is mandates. A number of schools have reached out to me to tell me that the proposed increases in funding will be consumed by mandates spread through the Democrat budget, like staff benefits.
There are other deficiencies in their bill: they didn’t provide as much for literacy or special education as we need, and they had no money for school safety. Those are glaring flaws that need to be addressed in the future. And in conference committee, the Democrats deleted a Republican provision that would have provided additional funding to the bottom 20% of schools that receive state aid. This would have been a windfall for schools, especially outside the metro, that badly need funding.
Every student deserves a great education. When we look at student performance, however, it’s clear we need a different approach. The Republican plan focuses on students in the classroom and strengthening the fundamentals first, while still ensuring teachers and schools have more resources they need to do their jobs.
It is a much better path than what the Democrats chose.
Minnesota State Senator