On Wednesday, House and Senate Education Committees led by DFL Chairs put a focus on the impact of Operation Metro Surge activities in and around schools across the state. Superintendents, principals, teachers, school social workers, education and disability advocates, and parents spoke with great emotion about impacts ranging from significantly decreased school attendance, shifts to virtual learning, increased mental health, loss of special education services, and staff and teacher workloads and burnout. Some noted short- and long-term loss of revenue through compensatory aid, and more, all of which, they argue, results in profound academic disruption, and immediate and future learning loss.

The Senate Education Policy Committee opened the session on with a celebratory recognition of the Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Linda “Wally” Wallenberg, an English Language Arts teacher at Eden Prairie High School – now in her 50th year of teaching and one of five finalists for the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award.

The week ahead: February 23-27

House Education Finance, with Co-Chair Rep. Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls) holding the gavel, will be discussing four bills addressing school safety funding (HF3492, HF3493, HF3494, HF3495).

House Education Finance, with Co-Chair Cheryl Youakim (DFL Hopkins) will hear an update from the Attendance Pilot Project Participants, as well as presentations by MDE on Pupil Measurements, and Student Support Personnel on Student Mental Health.

House Education Policy, with Co-Chair Rep. Peggy Bennett (R-Alber Lea) will debate HF 3550 that would put health standards back in the hands of local school districts.

House Education Policy, with Co-Chair Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL Minneapolis) will debate on HF3409 which would codify a Supreme Court decision guaranteeing a student’s right to an education regardless of their immigration status. The committee will hear a presentation by Sandy Hook Promise on the current state of gun violence in schools and will discuss two new bills regarding anonymous threat reporting systems (HF3487) and requirements for firearms permitted on school property (HF3401).

Senate Education Finance will hear updates from COMPASS (Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student Success) & MTSS (Minnesota Multi-Tiered System of Supports), the Student Attendance Pilot Program, and Minnesota Counties.

Senate Education Policy will hear a presentation on School Trust Lands and then discuss a related bill (SF3594). They will hear an annual report from The Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership (MNP20) and then discuss a bill establishing a Dual Enrollment Task Force (SF2769), and another proposing to prohibit cell phone use in schools (SF0508).

February Budget Forecast & Walz Supplemental Budget Plan

All eyes are on the release of the February budget forecast, which might not arrive until the first week of March. This will be an update to the November budget forecast which shows a $3 Billion structural deficit in Minnesota’s General Fund in fiscal years 2028-29, or “the tails.”

Weighing heavy on the February forecast is the potential loss of over $2 Billion in federal Medicaid funding if Minnesota doesn’t come into compliance with recent program integrity measures stemming from HR1 or the One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress last summer. Further potentially exacerbating the state’s budget situation would be conformity with new federal tax changes. The Department of Revenue estimates federal tax conformity would cost Minnesota $388 Million in the current fiscal biennium.

We expect Governor Walz to produce a supplemental budget plan that will bring Minnesota’s budget into structural balance from now through ‘the tails.’ The legislature, on both sides of the aisle, are sure to dislike what promises to be sour budget medicine in a midterm election year.