Budget forecast provides opportunity to do more for Minnesota students, but one-time spending won’t be enough
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota. Dec. 6, 2022 – The projected state budget surplus of $17.6 billion provides a once-in-lifetime opportunity for short-term investments in Minnesota students, but increased support over many budget cycles is necessary to meet the challenges facing public education, Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said Tuesday.
“The governor and Legislature have a huge budget surplus because at the end of the last session they failed to spend billions of dollars on the things that benefit all Minnesotans, including public education where schools are understaffed and students are struggling,” Specht said. “The voters rejected the Republican Party’s strategy of obstruction and forced austerity. Now it’s time for Gov. Tim Walz and the leadership in the House and Senate to spend the state’s resources to improve the lives of working Minnesotans.”
“Minnesota schools are chronically underfunded,” Specht said. “To give students more time with their educators, healthy learning environments and access to a sufficient number of professional educators of all kinds, the state needs to make up for funding lost to inflation and then go farther to create world-class schools for all Minnesota students — no matter what they look like, where they come from or where they live. It will require a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year commitment from the state.”
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
