As of last spring, 49 percent of Minnesota students statewide weren’t proficient in reading, according to the state’s Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA). On national assessments, the average reading scores for…
While most of their peers were in algebra or English class Monday morning, a group of students gathered in the Capitol rotunda to listen to speeches in favor of a…
The idea that investing in child care will bring with it huge rewards is big in St. Paul. Speaking at Laura MacArthur Elementary School in West Duluth regarding his “One…
State and local taxes and spending The Center Square: Minnesota is in the top 10 for marginal state individual income tax rate CBS News: Minnesota officials set to release new…
The political campaign of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returned a maximum $4,000 donation from Nishad Singh, a key figure in the FTX cryptocurrency scandal. The money was originally donated by…
According to the latest Thinking Minnesota poll (February 26-28), an overwhelming majority (60%) of Minnesotans oppose restoring the right to vote for convicted felons. The poll results were released by…
Yesterday, leaders of the Republican minority at the Minnesota Legislature rolled out their $13 billion “Give It Back” plan. This would dedicate most of the state’s $17.5 billion forecast budget surplus for…
New teacher licensure requirements from Gov. Tim Walz’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) that include requiring aspiring educators to “demonstrate” ideologically driven content risk exacerbating the teacher shortage.…
DFL legislators and political activists are moving at the Capitol to entrench Ethnic Studies in Minnesota’s K-12 schools. This is one of the biggest stories out of the legislature, but…
Grade retention remains a controversial policy, with the debate focusing on whether or not it is effective over time and actually results in positive achievement and adjustment outcomes. In Mississippi,…
On housing and child care, Minnesotans face higher costs than many other Americans. In 2019, the average Minnesota family paid over $16,000 to keep a child at a day care…
In one of the most blatant (and profitable) pay-to-play arrangements in state history, Democrats in Minnesota are about to provide a huge return-on-investment to Minnesota’s American Indian tribes for their…
Minnesota schools are in crisis. Only 44.6% of our students can do grade-level math, and just under half can’t read at grade level. These results add to a long-term trend…
According to the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), tax collections in January of this year were 10 percent more than was forecast in December 2022. And for the 2023 fiscal…
HF 1992/SF 1946 was introduced yesterday, which includes Gov. Walz’ proposed transportation budget for the next two years. As is traditional with budget bills, the measure is being carried by…
There is a tradition in the Minnesota legislature that bills dealing with election law achieve bi-partisan support. Governors Tim Pawlenty and Mark Dayton each abided by this tradition and refused…
State and local taxes and spending Country Messenger: Governor Walz highlights budget KROC: No sign of a slowdown for Minnesota tax collections Star Tribune: Minnesota’s tax structure is enticing many…
Liberal lawmakers are pushing forward with House File 772, which would allow the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to change the state building codes in a way that allows…
The Walz administration presented their proposed budget to the House Transportation committee last week. As we reported last month, Gov. Tim Walz wants to dramatically increase the cost of your…
Minnesotans suffer from higher-than-average prices for accommodation and childcare. In both cases, the cause is excessive taxes, fees, and/or regulations, imposed by government, which restrict supply relative to demand and…
Minnesota legislators want to give some of the historic tax surpluses back to Minnesotans, in one way or another. One way that legislators want to do this is by giving…
When I moved back to Minnesota in 2017, the legislature reformed the state’s teacher licensing system, streamlining the overly confusing, complex, and broken licensing process and opening up the teaching…
A new trend emerged this week in the Minnesota legislature as Democrats ram through their agenda at record speed. The lack of fiscal notes.
This week, the state legislature passed HF 5, which provides a free breakfast and lunch to all Minnesota public school children, rich and poor alike. Extending free meals to rich…