St. Paul — The Minnesota Senate today approved a bipartisan bill that fully funds E-12 schools with the largest formula increase in 15 years, emphasizes student literacy, mental health, and supporting teachers of color without imposing burdensome requirements by legislators who often know little about the process of educating kids.

The legislation provides the largest increase in 15 years – an increase of $1.1 billion over the next four years. More than 80% of the new funding will be sent directly to local school districts allowing them the flexibility to spend on the specific needs of their districts.

“Prioritizing education is about prioritizing the future of our state. I am proud to say this education bill achieves those goals and is a huge victory for Minnesota students, families, teachers, and local schools,” said Senator David Senjem (R-Rochester). “Funding local school districts to address the needs they see in their schools will best help students recover from a year of massive disruption in their education.”

Key provisions included in the final bill:

• Grants to increase teachers of color and American Indian teachers. Research shows that hiring more teachers of color improves the performance of students of color. Stronger reading and math scores, higher graduation rates, more interest in higher education, and fewer disciplinary issues are typical outcomes.
• The bill continues to focus on teaching reading to young students, particularly students with dyslexia.

• The bill supports student mental health, associated with the effects of social media and screen time overuse and misuse. Funding for youth counseling at the elementary school level, funding for suicide prevention training for teachers and allows schools to use school safety funding for student mental health.
• The bill delays the implementation of all new academic standards and teachers can put their focus on helping students with learning loss instead of bringing on new curriculum.