Braham mother Shannon Kobinski says her 11-year-old daughter was attacked twice by the same student after getting off the school bus, on October 26 and 27. Video shows the girl pushing, chasing and punching her. Kobinski says her daughter hid the bullying at first after being threatened, and that the accused student remains in school even though the two families live in the same apartment complex. Kobinski believes a 2024 Minnesota law, which raised the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from 10 to 13 and took effect Aug. 1, 2026, leaves the bully facing little consequence, and she is calling for changes to it. Parents and community members plan a demonstration from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, outside Braham Area High School to demand stronger protections for students.
Minnesota voters this week elected nearly a thousand school board candidates to new four-year terms that begin in January, and incumbents won about 90 percent of races statewide. Voters also approved a constitutional amendment to increase school funding, but they rejected most local referendums that would have raised property taxes. Fewer than half of those requests passed, and only 30 percent of operating referendums succeeded, compared with nearly 70 percent last year. Minnesota School Boards Association Executive Director Kirk Schneidawind said economic pressures on families likely shaped the results. Candidates backed by the teachers' union won 71 percent of their races, while 43 percent of Minnesota Parents Alliance candidates won seats.
Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment, with 72.79% of the vote, that lets public schools draw more from the permanent school fund each year. The annual payout rises from 2.5% to 4.5% and takes effect July 1, 2027. The 4.5% rate is set in companion legislation rather than the constitution, so lawmakers could change it later by a simple majority, a point some senators raised as a concern. Critics, noting the fund is partly financed by mining and logging, worry those industries could expand at the environment's expense, while supporters say no land use changes are expected. School boards and educators have backed the measure.
Minnesota has chosen not to take part in a new federal tax-credit program, and Gov. Tim Walz has said the state will not join. Under the program, taxpayers can receive a credit for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations, which can help cover private school tuition for eligible K–12 students and certain public school expenses such as tutoring, books and school supplies. The program is scheduled to begin in 2027, but states must formally opt in before organizations within their borders can qualify. The America First Policy Institute estimates Minnesota could generate about $810 million for students over three years if it participates, assuming relatively modest taxpayer participation. The article also raises questions about where Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, stands on the issue.
Minneapolis Public Schools has backed off its plan to close schools. Last month the district proposed closing up to 16 schools to make better use of limited funds and underutilized buildings, and the school board had been set to vote on the closures in November. On Tuesday, after Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams recommended against closures "at this time," the board voted to rule out any closures before the end of the 2027-28 school year. Board members also agreed to discuss enrollment growth, early childhood enrollment, school start and end times, school choice assignments and how needs-based government funding is distributed. Sayles-Adams warned that the upcoming budget process might be difficult, with fewer options after recent reductions. Community members and the teachers union had strongly opposed the proposals.
Many Minnesota families now treat the Minnesota Educators Academy (MEA) break as a fall getaway. Teachers across the state take Thursday and Friday for relicensing and professional development, though many districts now give teachers Friday as a work day, and the conference itself is held Thursday at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport expects about 50,000 passengers during the break, 16% above this fall's average. In-person attendance has not recovered from the pandemic, with 659 people attending in 2025. Education Minnesota president Monica Byron says the time off helps teachers reassess their classrooms. Some families say the scattered days off are hard to manage, especially those who cannot afford to travel or pay for extra childcare while taking off work.
Special education and school leaders are urging Minnesota lawmakers not to let a 50 million cut to special education funding take effect automatically next year. A Blue Ribbon Task Force said the cuts would harm students, schools and communities, but it identified four areas where savings could come from if lawmakers move ahead, including ending the Hold Harmless designation, changing the ADSIS program to per-student allocations, ending the Special Education Charter Tuition Aid program, and moving a transportation program out of the special education budget. Parent and activist Maren Christenson Hofer said, "These aren't just dollars; these are children," and hopes lawmakers eliminate the pending cut. What happens next is up to state lawmakers.
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the Republican nominee for governor, outlined an education plan at a Capitol press conference. It would focus on reading, math and science, provide school safety aid to public, private and charter schools, and let districts opt out of some mandates, such as paid family leave. Demuth also proposed teacher "pay for performance," though she could not say which metric would be used, and said children from wealthy families should not get free school meals. She would opt the state into more federal education funding, including a new
,700 tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations. The Minnesota Department of Education has said that tax credit would disproportionately help wealthier Minnesotans. Demuth faces Democrat Amy Klobuchar in November.
Minnesota House of Representatives · Thu, Aug 27, 2026
The Minnesota House Education Policy Committee's home page lists its membership, schedule, legislation referred to the committee, audio and video from past meetings, and meeting minutes. The committee normally meets Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in Capitol G23, but the page says there are no scheduled meetings at this time. Co-chairs are Rep. Peggy Bennett and Rep. Sydney Jordan. Families who want updates can sign up for the committee's mailing list through the page. The page does not describe any specific bill or new education policy.
Families in Minnesota who save their back-to-school receipts may be able to claim K-12 tax breaks when they file next year, state officials said. The Department of Revenue points to two benefits: the refundable K-12 Education Credit, which has income limits, and the K-12 Education Subtraction, which does not. Last year, more than 46,000 families received an average credit of $389, and over 123,000 received the subtraction, averaging
,491. Eligible costs include paper, pens, notebooks, textbooks, musical instruments and educational software, and tutoring or educational summer camps taught by a qualified instructor can also count. The child must be in kindergarten through 12th grade at a public, private or qualified home school. Computer hardware and educational software are capped at
00 for each benefit.
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