Minnesota’s next governor will face multiple education challenges when they take office, and few aspects of the job are more important. Funding for public schools comprises nearly 40% of the state budget and is the single biggest line item. That funding accounts for about two-thirds of all spending on public schools in Minnesota.
Under Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota’s students’ academic assessments declined significantly following the pandemic, with the number of students meeting grade-level expectations in reading and math down about 10 percentage points. Unlike students in some states, Minnesota students have shown no sign of academic recovery. Minnesota has long suffered one of the nation’s worst opportunity gaps between white and Black and Native children, which has continued during the Walz years.
Neither Republican nominee Lisa Demuth nor Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Amy Klobuchar responded to Reformer requests for interviews to talk about their education plans. Both candidates have put academic achievement at the top of their education agenda. Both candidates call for a continued focus on the use of what’s called the science of reading, an evidence-based method of literacy education that was mandated in Minnesota by the 2023 READ Act. Both candidates also call for using evidence-based math instruction.
Demuth, the current Minnesota House speaker, advocates changing teacher preparation programs to focus on evidence-based practices. A key component of the READ Act changed how Minnesota’s teacher preparation programs teach educators how to teach reading. According to a recent New York Times survey of education experts that ranked cost-effective strategies for improving academic outcomes, the science of reading and high-quality curriculum were both ranked in their top five for cost-effective ways to improve educational outcomes.
Demuth and Klobuchar also both support an increase in tutoring for students who are currently below grade-level in reading and math. While Demuth specifically mentions expanding the existing Reading Corps and Math Corps tutoring programs, Klobuchar, who’s been in the U.S. Senate for 20 years, does not explain how she would expand tutoring. Neither candidate explains how they would pay for expanded tutoring.
While tutoring can be effective at bringing students up to grade level, small-group tutoring is expensive relative to other policies that can improve academic outcomes for students. Klobuchar’s plan includes several other strategies to improve academic outcomes, like banning cellphones and limiting screen time in the classroom, increasing student attendance, and requiring schools to automatically opt students into advanced courses when they qualify. All three strategies are considered low-cost ways to boost student achievement, with expanded access to advanced courses another cost-effective strategy.
Teacher pay Demuth has proposed linking teacher pay to performance, but her plan doesn’t include details. The Q Comp program, which started in 2005, already allows districts that opt in and unions to collectively bargain for compensation that is not based on the traditional system of years of experience and credentials. While pay for performance is one of the allowed uses, Q Comp funding can also be spent on teacher professional development, teacher leadership positions and teacher evaluation.
Klobuchar’s only reference to teacher pay is about making healthcare affordable for all educators. While higher educator compensation is one strategy for boosting academic outcomes for students, these strategies are expensive, and neither candidate provides details about how they would pay for their plans. Linking teacher pay to performance metrics like student test scores ha
