Minnesota education spending: A tale of two budget bills
Lawmakers dealt with education funding in two different ways. The higher-ed bill was the only finance bill to finish before the regular session ended.
Education
Legislators keep debating early learning programs. How do we know what works best?
House DFLers and Gov. Tim Walz propose renewing funding for 4,000 volunteer preschool slots in public school districts. Senate Republicans want to use those funds for early learning scholarships instead.
Sending your boy to preschool is great for your grandson, new research shows
Children of parents who attended a high-quality preschool program in the 1960s were better educated, healthier, better employed and more likely to stay stably married, especially if they were boys born to preschool-educated fathers.
How bad is Minnesota’s student-debt situation?
Minnesota ranks highly among states for student debt per-capita, but the details matter.
Legislature chooses four new University of Minnesota regents
House DFL delayed the process for months while they wrangled votes, and it paid off: They voted together on a slate of candidates and filled three of the four seats with their selections.
‘Help us’: Minnesota school officials plead with lawmakers to fix special education cross-subsidy
Special education costs a lot more than what either the state or federal government has been willing to pay for it.
It’s looking more likely that lawmakers will select U of M regents after all
DFL leaders had refused to schedule a joint convention, when all 201 legislators would elect regents, because of disagreement among caucus members about whom to elect.
Minnesota State has two big needs. It’s probably only going to get enough money from the Legislature to address one of them.
Minnesota State is in the midst of a big project to upgrade its technological infrastructure. It also needs money to keep the lights on.
A lot of Minnesota lawmakers agree on the need to recruit and retain teachers of color. There’s a lot less agreement on how much the state should spend on it.
It’s estimated that a third of Minnesota students are now children of color, and advocates say the lack of teacher diversity impacts outcomes and contributes to achievement gaps between students of color and their white classmates.
As small private colleges keep closing, some are fighting back
The first step to a survival strategy: acknowledging that there’s a problem.
Competing priorities: Comparing the DFL, GOP and Walz education budgets
Proposals for new education spending range from $206 million to $900 million. Here’s how the House, Senate and governor’s budgets differ on plans for school funding, student mental health, school safety and early education.
DFL, divided on U of M regent candidates, may hand off decision to Walz
Rep. Ryan Winkler said members of the party have met numerous times and have discussed “six to 10 people that could fill the slots.” But despite attempts, they can’t get everyone on the same page.
Should Minnesota grade its schools?
Of data dashboards and summative simplifications.
House DFL’s budget raises higher-ed funding to encourage tuition freezes
DFL legislators believe trading state funding for a tuition freeze pressures schools to cover rising costs without shifting them to students, says House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
How one Minnesota school, beloved by refugee families, has turned itself around while keeping its teachers, students and culture
Assuming the progress continues apace, Dugsi Academy’s experience might hold some lessons for educators and policymakers who study school improvement strategies.
‘We can’t sustain this’: special-ed shortfalls strain Minnesota districts as lawmakers struggle to find long-term solution
The state automatically allocates more money toward special education costs every year, but can’t keep up with rising costs. “It just shows the skyrocketing, escalating cost of special education,” said state Sen. Carla Nelson.
Looking to reduce discipline disparities, House bill would ban preschool suspensions in Minnesota
“Those who are not familiar with these statistics are often shocked to hear that students in preschool are three times more likely to be suspended than kids in K-12,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights.
Statewide, Minnesota has a healthy measles vaccination rate. But in some school districts, the rate is much lower
A threshold of vaccination rate of ninety percent or higher is needed to ensure safety of the general population.
‘We’ll fight for this one’: Gazelka says bill creating tax credits for private school scholarships is a GOP priority
The Equity and Opportunity Scholarship Act would allow donations to scholarship foundations to be credited against state income taxes. The foundations would use the money to give private school scholarships to low- and middle-income students.
Parents of color want a clearer way to assess schools in Minnesota
Senate File 299 would require the Minnesota Department of Education to establish a five-star rating system for schools.