Senate Republicans today introduced the Students First plan, a legislative package aimed at returning the focus of Minnesota’s K-12 education system to student success, safe classrooms, and informed parents. The bills honor the zero-dollar Senate Budget Target set by the Democrat Majority by working to free up existing funds and address safety concerns in schools without increasing costs.
“We’ve said it for two years, and we’ll keep saying it until Democrats listen: We have got to put our students first in every decision we make,” Senator Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) said. “Over the last biennium, we saw more than 80 new mandates passed into law for schools to follow, many of which were unfunded. Every dollar diverted to unfunded mandates is a dollar taken away from students and their needs – that is not what we should be doing. We need to provide schools with the flexibility to use their funding in ways that will help students succeed in the classroom.” Rarick is the Lead Republican on the Education Finance Committee.
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.
“Schools should be focused on student achievement—not weighed down by unfunded mandates,” said Senator Robert Farnsworth (R-Hibbing). “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. My bill will give them more flexibility with existing dollars to make sure every student’s needs and academic goals are being met.”
In addition to relieving schools from existing unfunded mandates, Sen. Michael Kreun (R-Blaine) discussed allowing school boards to waive any mandate enacted after January 1, 2023. “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,” Sen. Kreun said.
Finally, Senator Julia Coleman (R-Waconia) explained her bill to keep classrooms safe and keep parents informed when there is an adverse or violent incident at school. “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,” Sen. Coleman said. “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.” Coleman is the Lead Republican on the Education Policy Committee and chaired a Senate Committee Hearing on the topic of school safety in February.
Key elements of the Students First plan include:
- Allow School Boards to waive costly mandates passed after Jan 1, 2023. (SF 1489)
- Allow School Boards to waive any unfunded mandates, unless it would impact financial accountability or student safety. (SF 1141)
- Prioritizing student safety and strengthening parental involvement by ensuring schools have the resources and flexibility to create safe learning environments. (SF 676)