Minnesota
State Government
Governor
Tim Walz (D)
State Senate
33
Democrats,
33
Republicans
State House
69
Democrats,
64
Republicans
Economic well-being - Minnesota
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
11.1
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.2
Poverty rate
9.3%
Unemployment rate
3.6
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
5.1
Pioneer Press, June 27, 2015: Minnesota's teacher gap: Low-income students taught by fewer tenured teachers
"Minnesota is taking aim at social and institutional forces that put the least-experienced and least-qualified teachers in the state's neediest schools. Majority-white schools in Minnesota have half as many nontenured teachers as schools with large numbers of black, Asian, Hispanic or American Indian students, according to the Department of Education. Low-income, low-performing and especially charter schools also have high percentages of early-career teachers and those who are not fully licensed."
USA Today College, June 18, 2015: University of Minnesota may cover tuition and fees for low-income students
"Students whose parents have an income of less than $30,000 may receive a financial aid package to cover 111% of tuition and fees at the University of Minnesota next year, according to a budget proposal presented by University President Eric Kaler at a Board of Regents meeting on June 11, 2015."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, May 21, 2015: (Op-Ed) Universal school readiness requires universal access
"With a $2 billion budget surplus and a ranking in pre-K access that continually lags other states, Minnesota could find no better time to make the necessary investments to reach its stated goal that all children are school-ready at kindergarten entry."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, March 1, 2015: (Op-Ed) Scholarships for early ed mean choice
"Scholarships can be used at school-based programs. But scholarships also can be used at high-quality early-education programs operating out of centers, churches, nonprofit organizations and homes many of which are located in low-income areas. Scholarships are a both/and solution."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, February 15, 2015: (Editorial) Use early-ed dollars to help low-income students
"The 2015 Legislature has the opportunity to make more progress for preschoolers based on the general and often bipartisan support for some of the ideas that have already been introduced. One of those proposals, which calls for state-funded, school-based programs for all 4-year-olds, should be modified. Rather than approving a universal program, lawmakers should fund expansion of the current scholarship program targeted to lower-income students."
Inforum, February 8, 2015: New preschool scholarship approach helps low-income students in Minn.
"As the Obama administration makes early-childhood education a top domestic priority and most states are expanding preschool for low-income kids, Minnesota is taking a unique approach. It is the first state to make a major investment in a market-based preschool subsidy. So-called 'early-learning scholarships' follow children, whether they enroll in a public school pre-kindergarten or federal Head Start, which the government pays for anyway, or a private center such as New Horizon or home day care that charges fees. The scholarships, essentially pre-kindergarten vouchers, are designed to steer the most at-risk kids into the highest-quality care and reduce the achievement gap at the outset."