With a looming $5 billion deficit, the Minnesota state budget is on an unsustainable path. Spending reform is essential in the 2025 legislative session. Unfortunately, the numerous proposals to increase…
An executive order from President Donald Trump on K-12 education could have real implications for the state. The “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” EO directs federal agencies to develop…
‘‘It’s hard to argue with the data” is one of the most overused phrases wreaking havoc on honest debates — especially regarding crime. Politicians, academics, and pundits use crime data…
Back in September, Governor Walz announced a new effort to attract business to Minnesota; “we’re focused on maintaining our record as a top state for business,” he said. This record…
St. Paul has no money for childcare. A ballot measure creating a childcare subsidy program for all low-income children in St. Paul failed to pass in the 2024 election, preventing…
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau publishes the Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. This is the country’s only source of state and local spending data for all…
As calls to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education continue, two questions likely come to mind: Will it happen this time around (there were legislative attempts in 2017 and 2021…
Last week I wrote about new Census Bureau data which show that Minnesota lost 8,700 residents net in 2023. To put that in context, as Figure 1 shows, Minnesota’s net…
Last week, Minnesota’s media reported: KEYC: DEED: Minnesota adds 6300 jobs in September KNSI: Minnesota Sees Job Gains, Strong Wage Growth in September Star Tribune: Minnesota hoping to reverse manufacturing job losses after…
To less fanfare than usual, the Census Bureau has released its estimates of State-to-State Migration Flows for 2023. They show that, overall, Minnesota gained 100,277 residents from other parts of…
A battle is brewing up in the St. Paul City Council over a free to low-cost childcare proposal. After failing to garner enough verified signatures in 2022, St. Paul’s universal…
Power play by commissioners involving now-former Hennepin Healthcare board chair undermines solutions for the communities they represent. Being unfairly denounced as racist ranks among the most hurtful and difficult accusations…
This op-ed was originally published at The Hill by Jacqueline Schroeder on Sept. 10, 2024. After more than 50 years of calling Minnesota home, my husband Bill and I made…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released its employment numbers for August. Some of the local headlines include: Kare 11: Minnesota shares largest monthly job gain in two years…
The Minnesota Reformer reports: The U.S. Census Bureau released new data last week showing that in 2023 the median household income rose significantly for the first time since 2019. In inflation-adjusted terms,…
More than half of Minnesota public school students still don’t meet basic proficiency in reading or math, according to newly released 2024 statewide assessment results by the Minnesota Department of…
District administrative staff in Minnesota public schools is up over 132 percent (132.1 percent) since 2000, according to the most recently available data from the National Center for Education Statistics…
Gov. Walz’s desperate push for the Vice Presidential slot on the Democratic party ticket this November has invited a number of appraisals of his record. The Big Picture The Minnesota…
A childcare modernization project is underway at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). In 2021, legislators passed a law requiring the DHS to revise standards for licensed daycare centers.…
According to ChildCare Aware, in 2022, Minnesota parents spent over $17,000 to send their infant to a daycare center. Daycare for infants took up 21 percent of median household income,…
Recent data released by the U.S. Census Bureau give a glimpse into the state’s changing demographic makeup. This item from the Census Bureau last week caught my eye. It opens,…
A new report released today from Center of the American Experiment exposes how federal policies implemented during the pandemic kept millions of people enrolled in Medicaid even after they gained…
At long last the legislative session is over. Compared to 2023, things were much quieter in St. Paul. That is if you don’t count the chaos of the final legislative…
National news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal detail recent concerns about soaring energy prices crippling heavy industry in Germany and several other European countries. The nascent deindustrialization of…