A little over a week ago, OAK hosted a table at the Education Freedom Showcase sponsored by Minnesota Parents Alliance.
There, I was given the opportunity to present current education data for Minnesota school districts, discuss spending per student, and share how Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) would work in Minnesota with OAK’s legislation (SF 3435 and HF 5123).
Before I even presented I was called upon to answer the question, “How soon do we get ESAs in Minnesota?”
Some form of that question was repeated throughout the day and always carried a sense of urgency. It was clear the parents in attendance desperately wanted alternate paths of education for their children, but the issue of cost weighed heavily upon them.
For decades, educators, experts, and pundits warned that the quality of public education in America was declining – and since COVID, rapidly declining.
While Minnesotans agreed about public education in America, they did not think that way about Minnesota’s public schools and certainly not their local school districts. Minnesotans traditionally prided themselves on both the state’s education system and their own local school districts.
That all changed during the lockdowns when parents and students found themselves side by side, working remotely. For the first time, parents were able to see what their children were and were not learning daily. Many parents saw class disruptions, toxic culture, ideologically charged teaching, and weak academics. Parents understandably became quite concerned.
The teachers’ unions compounded parents’ concerns by pressuring government not to allow public schools to re-open even though private schools were re-opening or already open. Arguably, the unions revealed their true colors to parents: It was never about the students, it was always about the adults in the system.
Where do Minnesotans stand today? According to 2024 polling done by EdChoice.org, nearly two-thirds of our state’s residents now believe public education in Minnesota and even in their local districts is headed in the wrong direction.
It seems that up until COVID, people psychologically needed to discount the warnings of educators, experts, and pundits about the state of public education. To accept those warnings was simply too much.
They still trusted major institutions, such as public schools, and accepted what they were told by officials. They believed that while everything else may be falling apart, their local schools were still providing quality education.
But the people’s trust in both public and private major institutions has collapsed in the wake of the pandemic and continues to decline. Polling reveals trust is still dropping. For public schools, trust is at an all-time low with only 26% of the American people behind them.
After their education experiences during COVID confirmed what the educators, experts, and pundits warned about for decades, many parents realized they must take things into their own hands, becoming the drivers of their children’s educations. As parents started to research the alternatives, they realized they want those options but don’t have the resources to pursue them.
To be in that position as a parent is very, very painful. You feel trapped and guilty. If you admit your local schools are failing to educate far too many of their students, how do you find and afford a quality education for your child? How do you escape?!?
You can see that desperate desire to believe your local school district is going in the right direction in the polling below. School parents need to believe their district is doing its job, otherwise they have to make changes or feel like bad parents. It’s a psychological challenge that puts them in a horrible position.
The reality of course, is that in all likelihood their local Minnesota school district is not headed in the right direction when only 52% of our state’s high school sophomores are proficient in reading based on Minnesota Department of Education assessments.
Below, you can see how the Twin Cities metro school districts stack up. Does it seem as if they are really heading in the right direction?
The sense of urgency displayed by parents at the Education Freedom Showcase seemed to reflect that sense of desperation. Furthermore, parents are increasingly aware that in other states universal Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are available and already freeing families from the traditional education model dependent upon zip codes and top-down, state-mandated, monopolistic school districts.
That should be no surprise. Going forward, as Minnesotans catch-up with friends, family, and associates in states with ESAs, they’re going to increasingly become aware that students in those states are receiving $6,500 to $8,000 per year to use for tuition and other education-related expenses.
Naturally, Minnesota parents want the same opportunities other states are providing to their families. Parents want the freedom to find the best education for each of their children as well as the state funds already allocated to their children to follow them to any school or education alternative.
Already 76% of Minnesota parents and 68% of the public support Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). That isn’t going to change, and support is only going to increase in intensity.
To establish ESAs in Minnesota, parents are going to need to make their voices heard by state legislators and the governor. They’re going to need to not just write, but call.
Ultimately, parents will need to force our state leaders to make a choice: Will they support parents’ desires for education freedom or will they stick with the failing status quo, which is wholly controlled by the teachers’ unions?
Have no doubt, the pressure will simply grow for ESAs. The state leaders who make them happen in Minnesota will win the gratitude and loyalty of parents and students across the state.
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Image Credit: HomeAid National Capital, CC BY 2.0
