Highlighting the DFL's failing government schools

Thanks to this Center for the American Experiment special report, it isn't possible for the DFL to spin away the failure of Minnesota's government, aka public schools. CAE's special report, written by Catrin Wigfall, a Policy Fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, opens by saying "Enrollment in Minnesota’s public schools has declined again, according to data recently uploaded by the Minnesota Department of Education. For the 2023-24 school year, public schools lost roughly 0.2 percent of K-12 students — 1,425 — from the previous year. Nonpublic enrollment ticked up just under 1 percent; homeschool enrollment increased 10 percent."

Unfortunately, that isn't the only statistic highlighting the failure of Minnesota's government schools. Ms. Wigfall's special report finishes by saying "As of spring 2023 data, the majority of Minnesota students aren’t meeting reading or math standards."

Enrollment is declining because these government schools, which are run almost entirely by the DFL and Education Minnesota, are underperforming, though they aren't underperforming like Baltimore's, NYC's or Chicago's government schools are underperforming.

As measured by the 2023 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), 50.3 percent of tested students do not meet grade-level reading standards, and 54.7 percent do not meet grade-level math standards. Compared to last year’s results, the percent of students proficient in reading has dropped 1.3 percentage points, while the percent of students performing at grade-level in math ticked up 0.7 percentage points.

Thank goodness the powers-that-be are jumping in to fix the problem:

District staff are working on boosting enrollment through targeted marketing efforts that include "mailed information, billboards and video messages that play at gas station pumps across the city, attending community events and parades." In fall 2022, the St. Paul school district launched a two-year $300,000 marketing campaign to try and reverse declining enrollment.

What's the slogan for this ad campaign? 'We don't stink like Baltimore, Chicago and NYC?' How inspiring! Bill Walsh explains the Minneapolis Public Schools' failure spiral in this report:

Walsh is "the Director of Marketing and Communications at Center of the American Experiment." Let's be precise. There are multiple contributing factors to the Twin Cities public schools' failures. The schools aren't safe because the neighborhoods aren't safe. The neighborhoods aren't safe because DFL politicians insist on dismantling the MPD rather than investing in and enthusiastically supporting law enforcement. Next, the Minnesota School Board Association helps Education Minnesota ignore parents to the detriment of the students. What's required is a union that represents parents and students, not teachers.

Third, there isn't enough investment in charter schools and programs that pay exceptional instructors additional pay. Everything about MPS shouts 'status quo!' It's unacceptable to settle for status quo when the DFL's schools are failing. Period. Finally, think of the DFL's dishonesty with this:

Rep. Sencer-Mura says that, as a result of the DFL's failure to fully fund schools and Biden's border crisis, Minneapolis Public Schools are being forced to cut teachers. pic.twitter.com/AeWW4egysN

— MN House GOP War Room (@MNHRCWarRoom) March 27, 2024