Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy week in the House, where the focus has been on the majority bringing omnibus bills to the floor for thorough debates and votes. A whole range of packages have been under consideration, including one on education.
Our children have faced added educational challenges the last couple of years, and it is crucial we help them catch up on lost classroom time and regain lost learning ground. Unfortunately, the education package (HF 4300) which recently received preliminary approval in the House doesn’t do enough to help our children overcome setbacks they have experienced. In fact, the bill focuses far too much on imposing new mandates on our schools and bureaucrats – not parents – deciding what is best for our kids’ education. The bill also prioritizes Minneapolis schools while giving those of us in Greater Minnesota the short shrift.
I recently met with numerous local teachers and administrators and a common theme from both groups is additional state mandates already are making their jobs difficult and they cannot continue to absorb added burdens. The bill which House Democrats approved includes more than 50 such directives that impact public, non-public and home schools, removing power from parents and placing it in the hands of bureaucrats. The bill includes new mandates for ethnic studies while doing nothing to address stagnant test scores in reading, math, and science.
Rather than look at cost-drivers in education and making improvements to streamline our schools, this bill adds layers of extra work that won’t directly address our children’s many needs. And, instead of focusing on mental health issues or literacy, this omnibus package creates more administrative positions at MDE at a cost to taxpayers of around $300,000.
Education dollars are precious, and we need to make sure it is directed toward classrooms to have the most benefit for our children instead of funding union leaders and bureaucrats in St. Paul.
Furthermore, the disparity in funding between rural and metro schools has long been an issue and this bill exacerbates that divide by forcing taxpayers statewide to bail out major financial promises to teachers’ unions in the Twin Cities. It also increases education spending by $1,400 per pupil in Minneapolis St. Paul, compared with a $775 increase for kids in Greater Minnesota.
We need to fundamentally overhaul our metrics for school funding to level the playing field and I will be working to accomplish this. And we need to do better to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our children. The Minnesota Department of Education’s mission should be to set standards, not mandates. Political indoctrination or divisive propaganda has no place in our children’s classrooms.
Let’s focus on improving academic achievement in areas such as reading, writing and math in a transparent process that helps our children grow. I hope improvements with those thoughts in mind are made to this education package before we take a vote on final approval.
On a final note, the House is expected to vote later today on final approval for a bill to repay the deficit in Minnesota’s unemployment insurance trust fund, reversing the recent tax hikes that Minnesota employers were needlessly suffering. It’s better late than never on this issue that could have been put to rest months ago. Look for more details on this subject in an upcoming letter after we see how things unfold.
Sincerely,
Matt