05.15.25 Quick Pension UpdateWe’re in the final week of the regular 2025 session, and the pace in St. Paul is picking up. This session has been unique in so many ways. We’ve had special elections, a projected $6 billion deficit, an evenly split Minnesota House, ongoing uncertainty at the federal level, a late start for half of the House members, and many different perspectives on how to move forward. After missing the self-imposed May 2 deadline, legislative leaders finally agreed earlier today to joint global budget targets between the House, Senate, and Governor. You may recall the Senate proposed a one-time $45 million target for pensions, while the House called for $124 million in ongoing funding. Unfortunately, the joint pension target falls far short of what is needed to fund a career rule for teachers. We all knew finding the funds to improve teacher pensions would be difficult, but we did the work. Throughout the session, we worked hard to develop solutions that not only create a career rule for teachers, but also increase school funding and flexibility, provide mandate relief, drive innovation, stabilize district budgets, and return more decision-making authority to local schools. We knew it would take tough votes, but we stayed the course. Unfortunately, our priorities appear to be taking a back seat to some of the new programs passed last session. Still, I will keep pressing for change. We may have fewer options, but a lot can happen in the final days of session. Education Finance Bill UpdateAfter being held up over disagreements regarding unemployment insurance for hourly school workers, the Education Finance bill will finally get a vote. Although not perfect, I will be voting yes on this bill. Highlights include: - Prioritizing fair and flexible funding for schools and students by redirecting more than $150 million back into classrooms over the next four years.
- Investing $40 million into the READ Act, reaffirming our commitment to the Science of Reading and academic achievement.
- Rolling back funding for legislatively named nonprofits.
- We should fund schools to choose their nonprofit partners, not fund nonprofits to choose which schools they want to help.
- Sunsetting the UI benefit mandate in September 2028.
- Redirecting $77 million from a light rail project to fund the school UI mandate for two years.
- Denying MDE’s budget increase request and rejecting the Governor’s plan to cut education funding by more than $680 million.
I will continue listening and working to fund our schools, cut unhelpful mandates, and focus on teacher pensions. Please continue reaching out to Governor Walz and members of the Legislature to share your perspective. As always, stay in contact. |