The State of Minnesota has long been considered a national leader in K-12 education. Annual ACT and SAT scores support this with our students consistently scoring well over the national average. As a state we must continue to provide our students with a quality education if we are to have a qualified work force in the future. Thanks to the hard work of our teachers, administrations, and dedicated school boards, we are well positioned to do this.

Where we currently struggle is in the funding of our schools. A better prioritization of current funding is long overdue. The Minnesota Constitution guarantees state residents both a “general and uniform” public school system.

In the last 40 years our state has worked hard to make this happen. However, what began as the “Minnesota Miracle” in the early 1970’s, which was intended to bring equity in education spending, has over the years been subject to tinkering by state leaders.

Today, rather than “uniform” spending, our state instead has severe disparities in money allotted per pupil across school districts. This is particularly true of funding for students in rural Minnesota. The situation was made worse this year when millions of dollars already budgeted to education where shifted to pay for other programs. THIS HAS TO STOP!

As your representative I will work hard to ensure students in our district receive the best education possible. I have a hands-on working knowledge of education finance. I have been a school board member for nine years, served seven years as Board Chair, and a former Minnesota Rural Education Association board member. I am a parent of five children who are students in our local public schools. I understand the importance of our rural schools to our community pride, our economy and our way of life.