By: SENATOR JOHN JASINSKI 

Minnesota has a long tradition of bipartisan support for education. Last budget cycle, the legislature once again provided significant increases to local schools, but those funding increases were overshadowed by a slew of new mandates imposed by Democrats, who held complete control of state government.

These mandates added substantial costs and administrative burdens to local districts. As a result, the funding increases were effectively canceled out, leaving school leaders scrambling to balance their budgets. Many districts were forced to consider levy increases or program cuts just to stay afloat. The result was frustration among educators and parents alike.

Unfortunately, it looks like we can expect more pain for schools in the future.

Gov. Tim Walz outlined a budget proposal recently that would eliminate all funding for the Alternative Teacher Compensation Program, also known as Q Comp, by 2027 – a $250 million cut to schools over four years.

Q Comp is a voluntary program for schools and teachers that has been around since 2005. It gives school districts and charter schools extra funding to support and reward teachers for professional growth, student achievement, and leadership roles. ​As of this school year, Minnesota’s Q Comp program includes 111 school districts, 71 charter schools, one intermediate district, and one education district. Collectively, the program serves about half of Minnesota’s public school students.

Not everyone supports Q Comp. Some school officials have raised thoughtful concerns about the program, suggesting the funding might be better used on other education priorities, such as improving teacher pensions. These ideas deserve to be part of the conversation. But we should be clear: that’s not what the governor is proposing. He’s not redirecting the money to other needs. He is eliminating it entirely.

I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from schools and teachers in our area, and it’s clear that the governor’s plan to eliminate Q Comp would have pretty severe consequences – especially for small school districts, which rely on it to maintain their competitiveness. In fact, some schools tell me Q Comp has been one of the best incentives to recruit teachers for smaller districts outside the metro. Cutting it will result in pay cuts for half the state’s teachers and layoffs in districts across the state.