MINNEAPOLIS – The head of Education Minnesota says lawmakers should come back to Saint Paul for a special session to pass an E-12 public school funding package left undone when the regular session clock ran out Sunday night.
Teachers union President Denise Specht said, “I think that we just have to ask every lawmaker. They’re elected to solve problems. They are elected to address needs. And the needs are so great. It doesn’t matter where you live.”
Specht accuses Senate Republicans of running out the clock for political reasons. Key Senate Republicans say they gave House Democrats everything they wanted during negotiations but D-F-Lers still hesitated to move forward.
Specht points to a shortage of substitute teachers and bus drivers, class sizes on the rise, and mental health concerns in Minnesota’s schools.