Fuente: Minnesota Catholic Conference
The state of Minnesota has for decades made a commitment to all students to fund certain essential services such as nursing, counseling, instructional aids, and busing. But the governor’s proposed budget eliminates critical funding for students who attend nonpublic schools. This harmful decision unfairly targets families who rely on nonpublic schools that serve their child’s needs. Please act now to stop these harmful proposed cuts.
- Contact your legislators
- Share this one-pager (Inglés, Español)
- Learn how to build relationships with elected officials
Talking points to share with legislators:
- The average cost to educate across our entire Catholic school system is $8,532/student as of 2024, while the average cost to educate for public schools in Minnesota is over $18,000/student. With more than 30,000 students in our Catholic school system alone, we are saving the state’s education system a significant amount of money each year. This proposal is neither efficient nor effective in bringing more financial vitality to the state of Minnesota.
- Eliminating nonpublic pupil aid and transportation aid also stands to cause significant equity issues, making it harder for students and their families of lower incomes to choose a school that fully fits their needs and values.
- Our Catholic school students serve their greater communities in various ways throughout the year, providing further benefits and contributing to the vitality of the state.
- Our schools welcome and serve a diverse range of learners, needs and backgrounds. Many of our schools provide for student needs in ways that are paid solely through our own schools, saving the state even more money. Some examples include:
- Our 10 Drexel Mission Schools (providing significant wrap-around services and interventions during the school day) for our urban families with lower socioeconomic statuses
- Hill-Murray School’s Nicholas Center
- Saint John’s Catholic School’s reading program.
- Gov. Walz and his administration have stressed quality education for all Minnesota children as well as the need for their overall wellness, including their mental and physical health. These per pupil aid dollars and transportation are the only source of direct government support for our nonpublic students in these key areas.
- Our 30,000+ students are diverse in terms of native languages, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, learning styles, religions and home lives, to name a few. The governor’s proposed budget discriminates against nonpublic students and their families, who play such a critical role in the life and vitality of our educational system and entire state.
