Senate committee hears funding request to formalize Minnesota STEM ecosystem

Senate File 1726, a proposal to fund a Minnesota STEM ecosystem, drew testimony on March 3 before the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee.

The bill would appropriate $1,200,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $1,200,000 in fiscal year 2027; fiscal staff told the committee the bill contains no one-time language and therefore those amounts would be assumed ongoing. "Senate file 17 26 is appropriating 1,200,000 in fiscal year 26 and 1,200,000.0 in fiscal year 27," the committee fiscal analyst said during the hearing.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Hochschild, described the Minnesota STEM ecosystem as a statewide network of business, education, government, after‑school programs, museums, nonprofits and community organizations designed to coordinate STEM learning inside and outside schools. "A STEM ecosystem encompasses schools, community settings, such as after school and summer programs, science centers and museums, and informal experiences at home...that together constitute a rich array of learning opportunities," Senator Hochschild said.

Emily Saeed, identified in her testimony as the director of the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem, told the committee the program is industry‑driven and place‑based and that the advisory council would guide grant decisions. "We actually, in partnership with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Centers of Excellence, we've built an exploratory STEM curriculum and integrated lean, industry practices into that curriculum," Saeed said. She said the ecosystem runs internship programs, including immersive internships with a large share in advanced manufacturing that lead to industry certifications for some high school students.

Heidi Halverson, who identified herself as lead of philanthropic workforce and STEM education programming at Medtronic, described industry contributions such as technology donations and emphasized long‑term workforce needs. "According to the World Economic Forum, 65 percent of kids who are sitting in elementary schools today will work in jobs that do not currently exist," Halverson said, arguing for broad public–private support.

Cheryl Mueller, executive director of High‑Tech Kids, described the nonprofit’s robotics programs and said past state ecosystem staff helped her group secure a "deep grant" by connecting partners. Student testifier Sonia Tahir, a junior at Mounds View High School, described hands‑on learning and leadership gained through robotics and urged the committee to expand access.

Fiscal context provided to the committee noted the 2024 jobs bill appropriated $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 to support high‑school robotics and career pathways, including $2,000,000 for internships; those funds are available through June 30, 2028, the fiscal analyst said.

Committee members asked how the proposed appropriation would be distributed. Saeed said an advisory council would set priorities and that grants would support internships, competitive events and emerging‑technology programs, with industry partners providing matching resources such as equipment donations. Saeed cited roughly $30,000 in Medtronic technology donations and about $40,000 in microcontrollers distributed as examples of private contributions.

The committee recorded the bill for further consideration. Senate File 1726 was laid on the table for possible inclusion by the committee at the conclusion of testimony.