Schools
What’s in Minnesota’s 2023 education bill
The Minnesota Legislature during the 2023 session passed a sweeping education bill that boosted public spending for schools by nearly $2.3 billion. Gov. Tim Walz, a former teacher, has advocated for more school funding since the beginning of his tenure, but he was mostly stymied under a divided government. Education advocates, the state’s teachers’ union […]
DFL-controlled Legislature has agreement on $2.3 billion boost in education spending
A panel of Minnesota lawmakers on Monday agreed to a compromise on education funding and policy provisions that includes a $2.3 billion boost in school spending. The 331-page agreement will now go to the DFL-controlled House and Senate for an up-or-down vote and then to Gov. Tim Walz, who is likely to sign it. “We […]
University of Minnesota graduate students unionize after decades-long push
Graduate students at the University of Minnesota voted by a wide margin to unionize, seeking higher wages, better benefits and lower student fees. The new union will represent roughly 4,100 graduate students at the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. They work as teaching and research assistants alongside their studies. The successful vote comes amid a […]
Biden administration warns U.S. House GOP debt limit bill would slash education
WASHINGTON — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday said House Republicans’ debt limit proposal would cut vital education programs and harm vulnerable students across the U.S., such as those who are low income or have a disability. “It would be taking us backwards,” Cardona said on a call with reporters. U.S. House Speaker Kevin […]
House passes massive K-12 education funding, policy package
House Democratic-Farmer-Labor members on Thursday passed a bill that would provide over $2.2 billion in additional funding for Minnesota schools. The bill would increase education spending by 10% to $23 billion — about 30% of the proposed $72 billion state budget for fiscal years 2024-2025. The bill’s advocates say the massive education budget is necessary […]
Minnesota senator ranted about sex ed in schools, kicked constituent teachers out of office
This story contains graphic language. Three teachers from Milaca School District — about 30 miles northeast of St. Cloud — met last week with their state senator to talk about how inadequate special education funding is burdening their district’s budget. The teachers say the meeting ended abruptly when the senator kicked them out of his […]
Walz signs universal free school meals into law
Gov. Tim Walz on Friday signed a bill to provide free breakfast and lunch to all Minnesota students at eligible schools. Walz signed the bill surrounded by lawmakers, community advocates and young students at Webster Elementary School in northeast Minneapolis. The second-term DFL governor lauded how universal meals will help make Minnesota the best state […]
Dora Zaidenweber, 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, tells state lawmakers: “Mass murder can happen”
When Dora Zaidenweber first came to the United States in 1950 after surviving Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, some people did not believe the Holocaust happened — and that it certainly could not happen in America. “Not only all students, but everybody — everybody in Minnesota educated — should have a knowledge of the dangers […]
Minnesota Senate passes universal free school meals; bill heads back to House
The state Senate on Tuesday passed a bill 38-26 to provide free school breakfast and lunch for all Minnesota students. The bill (HF5) will have to go back to the House for a concurring vote before making its way to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for his signature. Walz supports the legislation and included universal free […]
10 more indicted in Feeding Our Future fraud
Ten more people were indicted Monday for misappropriating and laundering money they got through a federal child nutrition program prosecutors say was bilked out of more than $250 million, primarily in Minnesota. That brings the total number of people indicted to 60. So far, six people have pleaded guilty.
Literacy as an anti-violence strategy
As St. Paul parents have become all too aware lately, we continue to see levels of violence in our schools that indicate kids are not okay. As a community we need to do what is necessary to create spaces where students feel physically safe, while also asking the question, “Why is this happening?” I hope […]
National ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports passed by U.S. House panel
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee early Thursday passed a bill on a party-line vote that would block transgender girls from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity, a reflection of a broader push in multiple states to curb the rights of transgender student athletes. The bill, H.R. 734, introduced […]