Three members of Prior Lake and Savage’s delegation in the state legislature joined the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board Jan. 27 to discuss their education priorities for the 2025 session.
Rep. Jessica Hanson, DFL-Burnsville, Rep. Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan and Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake, each emphasized to the board they are not in favor of cutting funding heading to public schools. There is some bipartisan support, but each delegate had some differing ideas on how the state should proceed.
Hanson discussed her belief in the importance of representation for all students.
“What’s important to me and my time in the legislature is making sure we’re fighting for equitable education,” she said.
She spoke about several issues, including school funding, student safety, preserving free and affordable lunches and making sure that educators are supported.
Pratt, a former member of the PLSAS board, expressed his disappointment in Gov. Tim Walz’s current budget. He pointed out that the legislature will spend almost $29 billion on education in this budget cycle. “The issue isn’t that we spent the money. The issue is how we spent the money,” he said. “We spent the money on new mandates that are costing you your funds to implement.”
Pratt is looking for ways to save money, such as the possibility of not filling current job openings in schools.
Bakeberg, an educator currently serving as principal of Jordan Middle School, said he wanted to focus his comments on his priorities as a practitioner as well as a representative. He said that since he is the only current middle school principal serving at any level of Minnesota state government, he knows firsthand how the decisions that the legislature makes directly affect schools.
Bakeberg agreed with Pratt on the allocation of state funding, saying the governor’s proposed budget increases funds to the Department of Education but decreases funds going to the state’s public schools.
“How in the world can you justify increasing your budget at the department when districts across the state are cutting?” he said.
Board’s position
Board members shared with the delegation questions and concerns about funding early interventions and paraprofessionals, dealing with unfunded mandates and the emotional and economic impacts on students and employees. The representatives encouraged open communication and promised to work with the board to find workable solutions.
Superintendent Michael Thomas shared a draft of the district’s legislative platform that they will be advocating for in the state legislature.
After some discussion, the board agreed that the platform’s primary focus should be increasing local control.
The platform will zero in on four key topics: discussing the outdated funding formula (it was created in 1971), creating a K-12 assessment review task force, addressing K-3 discipline and repealing or revising previous session mandates.
The board will vote on the final version of the legislative platform at the Feb. 10 school board meeting.