Gov. Tim Walz is proposing to eliminate $109 million in state support for nonpublic school students over the next two years—a move critics say unfairly targets families who choose private education.
The plan would slash state aid currently used to fund essential services for nonpublic students, including transportation, textbooks, school nurses, and guidance counselors.
“This is going to come on the backs of children,” said Deb Larson, head of school at Maranatha Christian Academy (MCA) in Brooklyn Park. “We’re talking about cutting counseling, nursing, transportation, even professional development for our teachers. These are foundational supports for kids.”
The proposed cuts to school counseling comes at a time when student mental health is at crisis levels.
According to the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, nearly one in three students reported long-term mental or emotional health struggles—the highest rate since tracking began in 1989. Among 11th-grade girls, that number climbed to 45%.
Larson’s school sent a message to MCA families urging them to contact the governor. In part, it reads:
“Despite hearing from numerous private school leaders, thousands of parents, grandparents, staff members, and many concerned legislators, Governor Walz has doubled down on his proposal to eliminate critical funding in his revised budget released Friday, March 21. This harmful proposal would defund essential services like textbooks, nursing, counseling, testing, and transportation, unfairly targeting families who rely on nonpublic education, including our MCA families. Please call the Governor’s office and respectfully urge him to drop this harmful proposal.”
Larson told Alpha News, “Parents are their child’s first advocate. If something threatens to harm their child’s education, they should speak up. That’s exactly what we’re asking them to do.”
Minnesotans speak out against proposal
Alpha News reported last week on a Senate Education Finance Committee hearing, where students, school leaders, and advocates from across the state testified against the proposed cuts.
Eighth-grader Arsema Mesfun, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. and work middle-class jobs, told lawmakers she hopes to become a nurse and that her Catholic school helped her learn English and prepare for high school.
“Without transportation, there is no way my family would be able to choose JP2,” she said, referring to St. John Paul II Catholic School in Minneapolis. “I feel like this is a punishment to me just because my parents chose a different school.”
In a letter to lawmakers, the Minnesota Catholic Conference called the proposed cuts “short-sighted,” arguing that nonpublic schools save taxpayers an estimated $500 million each year by educating students outside the public system.
Former congressional candidate Kendall Qualls weighed in on social media, criticizing Walz’s leadership and education priorities.
“We’ve experienced eight years of academic decline in public schools under Governor Walz. While he finds it okay to spend nearly half a billion dollars to renovate new offices at the Capitol, he eliminates subsidies for private school parents that have been in place since 1969 under both Democrat and Republican governors. These cuts demonstrate Walz is nothing more than a vindictive tyrant. We need leaders who will help support families and move school choice forward,” Qualls wrote on X.
We've experienced eight years of academic decline in public schools under Governor Walz. While he finds it okay to spend nearly a half of a billion dollars to renovate new offices at the capital, he eliminates subsidies for private school parents that have been in place since…
— Kendall Qualls (@KendallQuallsMN) April 15, 2025
With the state House tied 67-67, the provision would need support from at least one Republican to make it to the governor’s desk.
The proposed elimination of nonpublic pupil aid comes as the state projects a modest surplus in the upcoming biennium but anticipates a $6 billion deficit in the next.
Opponents argue it’s wrong to patch budget holes by cutting support to families whose tax dollars already contribute to the public school system, something Larson agrees with.
“It’s disappointing to see the state fail to manage its finances—and then turn to cuts that directly impact children,” Larson said. “There are plenty of other places in the budget where savings could be found.”
The legislative session is scheduled to end May 19 but legislators have until July 1 to produce a budget.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
