A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Minnesota is about to be desolate in a sea of school choice, meaning that our neighboring states are gearing up to trounce us in the education battle.
As it turns out, that prediction may be even worse than expected. The sad reality is that when it comes to education freedom, Minnesota is already near the bottom of the pile, particularly compared to other Midwest states.
That statement is based on the recent release of the 2024 Education Freedom Report Card from The Heritage Foundation. As seen in the map below, Minnesota comes in at #39, just barely missing the red zone. Except for North Dakota, which comes in at #41, Minnesota is the worst ranked state for education freedom in the Midwest—even ranking below Illinois!
This ranking stems from four areas of measurement: Education Choice, Transparency, Teacher Freedom, and Return on Investment.
Minnesota receives its worst ranking—#44—in the Education Choice category, dropping seven points in the last two years. The state’s failure to enact an Education Savings Account (ESA) program is mentioned as the first reason for this low score.
Minnesota receives its other lowest ranking—#42—for return on investment.
“Minnesota spends the 17th most per pupil among states, spending $17,882 in cost-of-living-adjusted terms annually,” the report explains, further noting, “Minnesota ranks 17th in its combined fourth-grade and eighth-grade math and reading average NAEP score.”
How does that compare to our surrounding states? Here’s a quick look at the numbers:
- Wisconsin: Ranks sixth in NAEP scores, spends an average of $16,855 per student
- Iowa: Ranks 14th in NAEP scores, spends an average of $16,937 per student
- South Dakota: Ranks sixth in NAEP scores, spends an average of $14,699 per student
- North Dakota: Ranks 17th in NAEP scores, spends an average of $19,538 per student
In other words, Minnesota spends more money than all of our surrounding states—except North Dakota—and still manages to do worse on national tests than all of those states—excepting North Dakota again.
“Whew! Thank goodness for North Dakota,” you’re probably saying at this point. “They’re saving us the humiliation of going from one of the greatest states for education to one of the last, at least in the Midwest.”
I hate to break it to you, but we may not have that North Dakota crutch much longer. As I mentioned recently, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is angling for ESAs in his state’s upcoming legislative session. If that happens, the state’s education choice ranking will immediately skyrocket up toward the top of the list.
Expect North Dakota’s Return on Investment rank to also rise into more positive territory, for when parents get to choose the school that best fits their child’s educational needs, the chances of academic gains on national tests also rise dramatically.
“But surely,” you say, “Minnesota will follow suit and also pass ESAS, right?”
That would be true if Minnesota legislators were actually paying attention to the desires of their constituents. Currently 75% of Minnesota school parents want ESAs, while roughly 70% of Minnesotans in general also want to see this form of school choice enacted within our state borders.
Alas, what the public wants and what the Minnesota Legislature chooses to give are apparently two different things.
According to reports OAK hears from within the State Capitol and those in the know, some Democratic legislators would like to pass ESAs or some form of school choice, but they are held in check by re-election fears, knowing that the teachers’ unions would primary them to kingdom come were they to support such a move.
Republican legislators are a mixed bag.
Many of the newer Republican legislators desperately want to pass ESAs, and have even encouraged their colleagues to make it a priority this next session. Alas, these same legislators are feeling held back by members of their own party who fear taking on the challenge of a failing education system with a broad, positive solution like school choice and Education Savings Accounts.
Surprisingly, some legislators are still tied to the belief that education is not a Republican issue. That may have been true a decade ago, but the tide has already turned.
The education system in Minnesota has been the domain of the DFL for decades. Few would argue anything but that. Yet, under that leadership, we’ve seen math and reading proficiency plummet, chaos breaking out in schools, and teachers burning out in droves.
Democrats For Education Reform polling noted even in 2023 that the traditional trust voters had in Democrats on the issue of education had been lost in many swing states and that Republicans are increasingly taking the lead.
Sadly, at the end of the day both state parties are missing the boat.
Good education should not be a partisan issue—it’s a commonsense issue—that clearly the average Minnesotan gets, while their elected leaders don’t.
Our kids don’t have time to waste while our elected leaders hem and haw about trying to do what’s best for their own political futures. Only HALF of Minnesota’s students are reading proficiently. They need school choice, and they need it as soon as possible.
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Image Credit: Flickr-Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
