The legislative session came to a calm close this week. In the realm of education, lawmakers kept the lights on and not too much more. Politics won this session; students must wait another year for their chance to come out the victor.

Lawmakers did pass a limited “hold harmless” for compensatory revenue—school dollars to support economically disadvantaged students and close achievement gaps.

EE, alongside partners in the Push Forward MN Coalition, urged this stopgap remedy to protect students and families already at risk of losing SNAP and Medicaid benefits.
Beyond that, here’s how our priorities fared:

Protecting access to public education

On a party-line vote, the Senate passed language codifying in Minnesota all students’ Constitutional right to free public education in a safe learning environment and establishing additional student protections, part of a DFL-sponsored omnibus immigration enforcement bill. With no Republican support in either chamber, the bill was a non-starter in the tied House.

This was another shared priority with Push Forward MN partners.

Unlocking school innovation

Our bill to help schools access site-level flexibilities that are already on the books enjoyed unanimous bipartisan support in both chambers. As was the case for most bills this year, that still wasn’t enough—but there’s a clear path for passage in 2027. Our bill would provide site-level teams the flexibility to create student-centered learning designs, coupled with clear expectations for academic outcomes. The current law has strong intent but needs refinement to clarify district and site-level expectations. This statue can be a powerful vehicle for local voice and shared governance—enabling families, educators, and community partners to design the schools in their neighborhoods, while giving school districts a framework to foster strong, adaptive, and accountable schools.

Vision of a Learner

We brought a bill with Rep. Greene to establish a statewide “Vision of a Learner”—naming as explicit state priorities the deeper skills students need, like critical thinking, collaboration, and civic responsibility. We made important progress moving this conversation with legislative champions and stakeholders across the state.

Assessment relevance

Finally, we brought a bill with Rep. Mueller to make state assessments more growth-focused, timely, relevant, and useful. Prioritizing growth in the design of the MCA would provide clearer, fairer picture of student learning that shows progress as well as proficiency, reduce economic and racial biases inherent in proficiency scores, and serve as a critical “system check.” With progress made, our intent is to keep the fire lit and see the bill through in 2027.