A life of service: Ken Wolf

American Experiment lost a good friend in October with the passing of former State Rep. Ken Wolf. Ken represented the Dakota County suburbs in the Minnesota House from 1993 to 2003. He was a master of spreadsheets and the first to break down the “steps and lanes” pay structure of Minnesota teacher union contracts to expose their costs.

His testimony before the House Education Finance Committee was legendary. He explained that a teacher contract settlement represented as a zero percent increase actually cost a suburban district millions of dollars. Consequently, legislators from both parties were asking Rep. Wolf to analyze the data for their districts.

Ken’s investment in education extended beyond his political career, recently partnering with Bob Fallen of Local Elections Matter to conduct research related to Minnesota’s public education finance. American Experiment’s Catrin Wigfall and Cristine Trooien of Minnesota Parents Alliance also worked with Ken and Bob on analyzing

Ken’s data was an integral part of making the case that more spending on K-12 education does not guarantee higher academic performance. This is a central point for current school board members and candidates looking to improve Minnesota’s public education institutions.

We will miss Rep. Wolf, but his legacy of service will live on.