House Republican statement on MDE guidance for upcoming academic year

House Republican Education leads Representative Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, and Representative Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, issued the following statement regarding an announcement from the Minnesota Department of Education that schools will not receive guidance from state officials on how to plan for the upcoming academic year until late July.

"MDE should step aside, and allow our locally-elected school boards and superintendents chart the best path forward for the next school year," Kresha said. "We don't need one agency in Saint Paul to decide for an entire state how best to proceed. Let's let our local schools take the lead so our students and their families have the clarity they need for the fall." 

“Waiting until late July to make a decision on the coming academic year is impractical for school districts across the state,” said Rep. Erickson. “Schools need months, not weeks, to hire staff, register students, and prepare for the beginning of the school year. Delaying this decision will significantly hinder the education experience for thousands of Minnesota students.”

As of June 16th, state officials have told school districts and charter schools to plan for three possible scenarios in the fall: 

• All children return to school buildings and in-person classes.
• No children return to school buildings for in-person classes. Instead, all students will engage in distance learning.
• Employ a hybrid of these two options with both in-person classes and distance learning. 

State officials say they will give districts guidance on planning for the three scenarios starting this week with a final decision at the end of July on what to expect for the upcoming academic year.