Gov. Tim Walz’s latest budget proposal eliminates funding for nonpublic pupil aid and nonpublic pupil transportation aid, cutting resources that have supported Minnesota’s private and homeschool students for nearly 50 years.
These programs provide essential services such as textbooks, standardized testing, transportation, and student support services to nonpublic school students through their local school districts.
Under Minnesota Statutes 123B.40–123B.48, these funds ensure that every student, regardless of where they attend school, has access to equal educational benefits.
The eliminated aid accounts for just 0.4 percent of the E-12 education biennial budget, which is the largest general fund expenditure in the state, Center of the American Experiment policy fellow Catrin Wigfall explained in a recent article.
Impact on families and students
According to the Wigfall, Minnesota has more than 73,000 students attending traditional private schools and over 29,000 homeschool students.
The removal of this funding means that nonpublic school students will lose an estimated $1,080 per year in support, forcing families to shoulder additional costs for essential services, the Minnesota Catholic Conference said in an explainer on the budget proposal.
Advocates warn that this could lead to tuition increases, potentially putting private education out of reach for many low- and middle-income families.
According to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, “This harmful decision unfairly targets families who rely on nonpublic schools that serve their child’s needs.”
Calls for legislative action
The Minnesota Senate hosted a Committee on Education Finance meeting Wednesday, where advocates for nonpublic education urged lawmakers to reject the cuts and keep funding in place for nonpublic pupil aid and transportation aid.
“Our schools have become well-versed in efficiently growing educational excellence in our students [and] a part of this involves accessing critical funds and services available to our nonpublic students through the state’s nonpublic per-pupil aid and transportation programs,” said Meg Forgette of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
She noted that the average per-year cost to educate a student across the Catholic schools system is $8,532, while the average cost per public school student is over $18,000.
“We are saving the state’s education system a significant amount of money every year, so why then would it make sense to cut from the state’s budget these nonpublic education funds?” she asked.
Forgette argued that eliminating the aid would create additional financial burdens on families and limit school choice.
“This proposal needs to be removed as it is neither efficient nor effective in bringing more financial vitality to the state of Minnesota, as well as it simply being discriminatory against nonpublic students and causing significant equity issues in making it harder for students of lower-income families to choose a school that fully fits their children’s needs and their family values,” she said.
Comparison to neighboring states
Minnesota is one of many states that has historically provided nonpublic school aid.
Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin all maintain similar provisions for nonpublic pupil transportation aid. Iowa, South Dakota, and 18 other states offer support for nonpublic students’ textbooks and instructional materials, according to the Center of the American Experiment.
Private and homeschool education is estimated to save Minnesota nearly $500 million annually by reducing the number of students in the public school system, the Minnesota Catholic Conference said.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
