Walz, Flanagan Highlight Urgent Need to Invest in Education

Statement

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today visited Stillwater High School to stress the importance of investing in our schools. Their visit comes the day after an operating referendum failed for the Floodwood School District, which will trigger teacher layoffs, result in bigger class sizes, and eliminate elective classes at the high school.

At Stillwater High School, Walz and Flanagan laid out how their Administration's budget provides schools, students, and teachers the tools they need to succeed. The two highlighted how their proposed budget makes historic investments in schools to close the funding gap and make sure every child has a good teacher, can receive individual attention, and has access to the materials they need to develop the knowledge and skills to compete in today's economy.

"As a former teacher, I know firsthand how important it is that we fully fund our schools," Governor Walz said. "The state cannot continue to underfund schools and stick local communities with the bill. By strengthening our long-term investments, we can ensure every child receives a high-quality education, regardless of their race or zip code."

"An investment in our students is an investment in the future of Minnesota," Lieutenant Governor Flanagan said. "It's critical that we invest in our schools so Minnesotans are no longer forced to either cover the state's education funding gap or face bigger class sizes, teacher layoffs, and less opportunity."

In total, the Budget for One Minnesota represents an investment of $718 million in additional pre-K through grade 12 education funding over the next two years, and $159 million in additional funding to support Minnesota's higher education system, including $47 million in grants to students.

MAKE HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN K-12 EDUCATION

Invest $521 Million in Students Across Minnesota

The Governor's budget will increase the general education basic formula by three percent in the first year of the biennium, and two percent in the second, for a total new investment of $521 million. The general funding formula is the biggest source of state aid to schools in Minnesota and impacts every student in the state. It is also the most flexible aid schools receive, allowing them to make local decisions to meet the unique needs of their students. Other financial streams build off the formula, targeting resources to children with additional needs.

Prevent Special Education Costs from Rising

As costs for serving students receiving special education services continue to rise, school districts increasingly have to take money from their general fund to cover special education services, called the special education cross subsidy. The average cross subsidy for Minnesota school districts is $820 per student. By investing $91 million in special education, the Governor's budget stops the current gap from growing and prevents schools from being forced to divert general funding.

Improve and Address School Safety

Students need to feel safe at school in order to learn. Governor Walz's budget invests $17 million in school safety to address safety concerns and help schools prevent incidents from occurring. Funds in the school safety levy mean schools have the flexibility to add school counselors, support staff and practices, facility security measures or monitoring systems to meet the unique needs of their buildings and their students.

SUPPORT STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE

Provide Mental Health Services for More Students

Untreated mental health conditions can be a significant barrier to learning and educational success. The Governor's proposal is recommending the expansion of evidence-based school-linked mental health grants to serve approximately 7,000 more K-12 students. Grantees may deliver school-linked mental health services via telemedicine in order to expand access.

Restore Funding to Full-Service Community Schools

Students can't read if they don't have the right prescription glasses. They can't focus if they haven't eaten. Our students don't come to us in pieces, and we can't educate them as if they do. Full-service community schools, located across the state, house practically everything a family needs in one place. With services such as primary health and dental care, job training and classes for adults, and youth development programs, these schools are a hub in their communities. Governor Walz's budget invests $8 million for full-service community schools over the next four years, allowing schools to meet the needs of the whole-child to spur academic growth and opportunity.

Bolster Support System for Minnesota's Schools

Minnesota's Regional Centers of Excellence provide on-the-ground assistance to districts and schools to create the capacity and conditions that support consistent change. Currently there are regional centers in Marshall, Rochester, Sartell, Fergus Falls, Thief River Falls, and Mountain Iron that support struggling schools through evaluation training and long-term planning. Specialists with expertise areas such as math, reading, special education, English language development, equity, graduation support, implementation, data analysis, school leadership, and district support deliver a wealth of support and services straight to schools to meet their goals. In 2015, the centers were named one of Harvard Ash Center's Top 25 Innovations in Government. Governor Walz's budget invests $3 million to increase the capacity of the Regional Centers to reach more schools to meet the unique needs of students across the state.

Create More Second Chances for Incarcerated Youth

To better serve our incarcerated youth and those at risk of being failed by adult-driven systems and institutions, the Governor recommends funding a Second Chance Agency Director at the Minnesota Department of Education. The Director will coordinate services between the Minnesota Department of Education, Office of Higher Education, and Department of Corrections to design innovative education and training solutions with a focus on preventing incarceration or recidivism and developing pathways to success.

Lift-Up Students Experiencing Homelessness

Homelessness and housing instability present significant challenges for students and their academic success. Only one in four homeless third-graders demonstrate reading proficiency, a rate that is 37 percent lower than their underserved but housed peers. Governor Walz's budget adds $1 million in support for schools to better meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness who are not being covered by federal funding.

INVEST IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

Expand and Recruit Quality Teachers of Color

The Governor's budget proposes to fund nearly $8 million new and existing programs designed to attract, prepare, and retain racially diverse, quality teachers in Minnesota's schools. Over $3.6 million will go toward student teacher grants, provided by the Office of Higher Education, to support student teachers from underserved families who intend to teach in a shortage area after receiving their teaching license or who belong to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. Additionally, the budget proposes to allocate $4 million in grants to create mentoring, induction, and retention incentives for teachers of color.

Make Every Student Visible

Every student in Minnesota must be seen, heard, and valued. This means we must use data-driven decision making to improve student learning. Dedicated staff are needed to support educators, state programs, legislators and stakeholders in understanding, analyzing, and interpreting of education data. The Governor recommends increasing funding to better use data in setting goals, making policy decisions, and improving teaching and learning in the classroom. The Minnesota Department of Education was awarded a five-year federal grant to help fund the development of a data collection system to collect accurate detailed demographic information. While the system will be built primarily using these federal dollars, the Governor's proposal includes state money to enhance the system in an effort to streamline collection efforts and increase efficiency for districts.

Stabilize and Equalize Support for American Indian Tribal Schools

For too long, American Indian Tribal schools have been left wondering what their next year of funding will entail. Governor Walz's budget not only stabilizes funding, but equalizes it for the first time, protecting Minnesota students enrolled in Bureau of Indian Education schools from an approximately 50 percent cut in funding and keeping funding levels pegged to the general education formula. In order to better serve American Indian students, the budget will work to ensure they are offered opportunities to succeed. Equalizing and stabilizing funding lays the foundation for continued growth and opportunity for our students.

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