What’s Going On In Minnesota Public Schools?
If you’re a parent to a child in the public school system, how stressed are you right now?
Because odds are, your child’s classroom has more kids than it did a few years ago, and way more than probably you did. That's because of a statewide teacher shortage. It's not just one school or district; it's happening all over Minnesota. In the seven-county metro region alone, we're down more than 500 teachers. That's a big problem because it means larger class sizes and less one-on-one attention for students. Is your child getting the individualized attention they need?
Now, let's talk about what your kids are learning. Do you have a clue? Is your kid learning valuable life skills that will help them as an adult? You probably don’t, because most parents have no idea unless they send FOIAs to school districts. And when it comes to subjects we do know they’re teaching like science, reading, and math, we're not exactly acing the test. Only 39.2 percent of students met the grade-level standards in science in 2023. Reading and math scores aren't much better, with fewer than half of the students making the grade.
Minneapolis Public Schools doesn’t have a superintendent, and they’re already three weeks into the school year. They’re not expected to have a superintendent until 2024. The incompetence of not having a leader when you’re an organization that’s responsible for tens of thousands of students. Students who will be the adults of tomorrow.
Minnsota just experienced an insane heatwave that broke records for how hot it was this summer. And over half of St. Paul’s School District’s buildings don’t have air conditioning. Children are being packed for eight hours into hot buildings without air conditioning, and public schools seem to think that these are reasonable conditions.
And that’s if your child gets to school at all, because there’s a shortage of school bus drivers.
Some, mainly DFL, argue that the solution to these challenges lies in increased funding for education. For instance, the Minneapolis Public School District has been on the brink of bankruptcy since 2022. However, Minnesota already allocates a substantial 40 percent of its state budget to education. If funding were the sole issue, we wouldn’t be having these problems in the first place.