Recently, my Senate Republican colleagues and I unveiled a simple proposal to improve education and give schools relief: let’s put students first.
That’s not just a slogan. It is what Minnesota parents expect, and what students deserve.
Last budget cycle, Democrats imposed more than 80 new mandates on schools. Most came without funding. These mandates effectively canceled out the funding increases they received, pushing school budgets to the brink.
Despite more than a decade of historic increases in education funding, schools across Minnesota are facing budget shortfalls, layoffs, and program cuts — they testified to both Senate education committees in January about the challenges created by the dozens of new mandates passed by the Democrat majority.
The Students First Plan is simple:
- Give schools more flexibility to not comply with unfunded mandates (SF 1141). Existing dollars should be prioritized to make sure every student’s need and academic goals are being met. Schools should be focused on student achievement—not weighed down by unfunded mandates. At a minimum we need to let them off the hook for mandates that the legislature didn’t fund. Schools only have two options to make up the difference: cuts or levies.
- Allow school boards to waive any mandate enacted after January 1, 2023 (SF 1489). Every school knows what they need to get kids back on track, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all plan. Too many mandates from St. Paul have made it hard for schools to appropriately fund the individual needs of their students. Our bill empowers local districts to decide what mandates will work and what mandates won’t, so they can manage their budgets with more local control.
- Keep classrooms safe and keep parents informed when there is an adverse or violent incident at school (SF 676). We have all heard heartbreaking stories of violence, abuse, and ongoing distractions occurring in the classroom. There are very real safety concerns that exist in our schools which have gone unaddressed over the last two years. Parents should not be learning their child was involved in a violent incident at school on TikTok. Yet that is the unfortunate reality some parents face right now. Improving parental notification is a practical step toward increasing transparency and trust in our schools
Minnesota has been increasing school funding for years. But if that money is being swallowed up by mandates and isn’t reaching the classroom, then we’re not doing right by our kids.
Let’s fix that. Let’s give schools the flexibility they need to do their jobs, and focus on student success, safe classrooms, and involved parents.