(St. Paul, MN) — Members of the Education Minnesota teacher’s union are calling on state lawmakers to invest more of the state’s 17-billion-dollar budget surplus in schools.
Robbinsdale teacher Peter Eckhoff says the two-point-two-billion-dollar budget target that Governor Tim Walz and Democratic leaders agreed on for education is a good first step, but he says schools are in crisis: “We’re experiencing a staffing crisis, a student mental health crisis and a budget crisis.
After decades of underfunding, it is not time for tax cuts — especially when they benefit only the richest in Minnesota.”
Eckhoff says legislators need to get serious about dedicated funding for educator recruitment and retention.
Teachers also want any wage increases to include educational support professionals (ESPs).