Friends and neighbors,

Last session, the majority passed a massive education bill with more than 60 costly and burdensome mandates. In my recent meetings with local school boards and teachers, we have discussed the impact of these government mandates. The key takeaway: our schools are concerned with the financial and practical challenges of the bureaucratic mandates from St. Paul.

On March 14, various education groups sent a letter, urging the legislature to refrain from passing new mandates in 2024. The letter cited the negative impact on the schools’ budget, workforce, local control and innovation efforts. Despite this, the education policy bill passed by the Senate majority this week still increases mandates on schools.

Throughout the 2024 session, Senate Republicans have fought to give schools more flexibility. We recently introducedlegislation to provide mandate relief, and Republicans offered our proposal as an amendment to the education policy bill.

The amendment aimed to allow school boards to transfer 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. Members of the majority, however, refused to accept our proposal.

Recently, we received the latest report showing graduation rates are slipping for Minnesota students. Combined with the fact that fewer than half of Minnesota students are at grade level with math or reading, Minnesota students are not achieving their potential. That is why I believe we should cut back on government mandates and prioritize the needs of Minnesota students.

The many government mandates distract our schools from academic success and fail to ensure the needs of students come first. We need to refocus our priorities and get our dollars back into the classroom. By reducing mandates and providing schools with flexibility, we can ensure that every Minnesota student receives the quality education they deserve.

Contact My Office

Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as legislation comes before me. You can contact my office at sen.bruce.anderson@mnsenate.gov or 651-296-5981.

Sincerely,

Bruce Anderson