Committee advances bill requiring education committee members to shadow educators; opponents cite fiscal and implementation gaps

The Minnesota House State Government Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 27, 2025 voted to refer House File 412 to the Education Policy Committee. House File 412 would require legislators on education finance and policy committees to shadow classroom teachers, administrators or other school staff for 12 hours over a two-year period and report that experience.

Representative Myers, the bill author, said the requirement is designed to take legislators "out of the dome" and into classrooms so they better understand how policies affect schools, teachers and students. "We need to start listening to the people back at home that are executing on the policies that we put forward," Myers said.

Teachers and union leaders who testified said firsthand observation matters. Claire Lugar, a teacher in White Bear Lake area schools, described scenarios she said cannot be fully understood from data alone: oversized classes, staff shortages and crisis interventions. "There is nothing that replaces the authenticity of that observation," Lugar told the committee. Rachel Falkowski, president of the Wayzata Education Association and a 19-year first-grade teacher, described heavy caseloads and high burnout among teachers and urged legislators to spend time in classrooms.

The Association of Metropolitan School Districts also testified in support. Scott Krunquist told the committee that while legislators often meet local officials, required shadowing would elevate legislators' understanding of how policy decisions affect classrooms and budgets.

Opponents and some members of the committee urged caution about mandating the requirement without a fiscal note or clearer mechanics. Representative Cleburne moved to table the bill and requested a roll call; that motion failed on roll call (the motion to lay the bill on the table was not adopted, recorded as 7 nays and 6 ayes). Committee members asked the author to work on clarifying language about exemptions for legislators who already have relevant professional experience, the role of per diem or compensation, library and IT workload entailed by required reporting, and to provide a fiscal estimate.

Representative Myers said the bill contains per diem language and that legislators with prior relevant experience could document that service when reporting hours. Members asked that the author refine the bill before the next committee.

The committee's referral sends the bill to the House Education Policy Committee for further consideration and possible amendment.