Minnesota superintendents tell Senate a string of recent mandates, funding shifts could force major cuts

Members of the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee heard from more than two dozen superintendents, board members and finance officers on Jan. 29 in St. Paul who warned that several recent laws and funding changes together threaten district budgets and classroom services.

At the hearing, superintendents gave district‑level figures for losses they expect if the Legislature does not act to extend or fully fund recent program changes. Examples included a projected $323,574 drop in compensatory aid for Braham Public Schools, a $5.5 million cut for one large suburban district tied to a new compensatory formula, and district estimates of hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in added costs tied to unemployment and paid‑leave changes.

The speakers said the impact would be felt across operations: fewer interventionists and social workers, deeper class‑size increases, cuts to elective and career‑technical offerings and, for smaller districts, loss of entire teacher positions.

Many testifiers urged the committee to extend a “hold…