Yesterday Senate Democrats passed a partisan, mandate-heavy education policy omnibus bill. The legislation fails to address the three areas where schools need the most support: increasing academic success, providing mandate relief and improving school safety.

“Democrats have focused on passing education bills loaded with unfunded mandates, and our districts cannot afford this – they have asked relief, and this bill completely ignores their concerns,” said Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville). “Democrat policies have crippled our schools – their budgets are in the red, test scores and graduation rates are falling, and students’ needs are not being addressed…. We’re failing the next generation of Minnesotans. Yet instead of focusing on those concerns, this bill piles more mandates onto our schools. We need to focus on what matters, and that means giving school districts the flexibility to address their specific needs.”

The education policy bill increases mandates on schools, even after more than 60 mandates were passed in the 2023 session. A letter on March 14 from various education groups requested the legislature refrain from passing new mandates in 2024, citing the negative impacts to their budget, workforce, local control, and innovation efforts. Senate Republicans recently presented a bill to give local school districts more options with state funding, which was offered as an amendment during the floor debate.

The amendment sought to allow school boards to transfer the new funding from one use to another by passing a resolution indicating the amount and purpose of the funds they want to transfer. These relief measures would be in place for the next three school years and only apply to mandates in the 2023 education omnibus bills plus any new mandates that are anticipated in 2024 education legislation. Democrats refused to accept this amendment.

In the midst of slipping graduation rates and fewer than half of Minnesota students performing at grade-level in math and reading, the premiere component of this legislation is a controversial “Book Banning Prohibition” mandate, which would put book selection decisions in the hands of approved librarians with no room for input from parents in the community.

Other notable portions of the education policy omnibus bill include the following:

• SF 1318 – Requiring schools to consult with union representatives regarding paraprofessional training
• SF 2998 – Allowing smudging in public schools
• SF 3924 – Increasing the training required for Tier I and Tier II special education teachers
• SF 3974 – Requiring notice to parents and record-keeping if a student is pulled out of class for more than 10 minutes