Committee hears bill to continue Minnesota Math Corps tutoring program

Sen. Gustafson on March 12 presented Senate File 1323 to the Senate Education Finance Committee, asking members to consider continuing state support for Minnesota Math Corps, the statewide AmeriCorps‑based math tutoring program. Principal Jody Fanth of Barnum High School and researcher Dr. Pete Nelson testified in support, saying the program serves thousands of students and produces measurable learning gains.

"Minnesota Math Corps is the state's largest math tutoring program reaching more than 6,000 students in over 250 schools so far this year," Sen. Gustafson told the committee. Principal Jody Fanth, who testified about Barnum High School's experience, said Math Corps members work with small groups of students and directly with classroom teachers to reinforce curriculum. "Math Corps gives our students confidence in their abilities and provides them with the pieces they have been missing in their learning," Fanth said, describing a student who went from resisting math to competing in the math league after working with a Math Corps tutor.

Dr. Pete Nelson summarized independent evaluations of the program and its efficiency. "There have been two randomized control trials ... and in both of those studies what we saw was an effect size that's equivalent to an additional semester's worth of learning," Nelson said, noting the program's focus on foundational skills and its use of AmeriCorps members as tutors.

Committee members asked about local implementation details. Senator Rehrig (questions about how long individual tutors stay in a placement) and Senator Farnsworth (questions about whether shortcomings in classroom instruction or lost instructional time explain students' foundational gaps) pressed testifiers for specifics. Principal Fanth said the Barnum tutor, Roxanne, is in her fourth year and that a four‑year cap on Math Corps placements can leave districts uncertain when a long‑standing tutor must be rotated out. Senator Rehrig suggested a joint letter asking Math Corps administrators to allow extensions when a district cannot immediately replace an experienced tutor.

Sen. Gustafson and supporters described Math Corps as marrying an AmeriCorps service model with evidence‑based interventions, producing both short‑term gains and workforce pipeline benefits as members later enter teaching careers. Dr. Nelson emphasized the program's accountability and evaluations showing both learning gains and cost efficiency compared with other tutoring models.

Action: Sen. Gustafson moved SF 1323 before the committee; the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus education finance bill.

The committee did not take a final funding vote on SF 1323 during the hearing; members and testifiers encouraged site visits for legislators to observe the program in action. The bill was recorded as "laid over for possible inclusion."