All Minnesota students, from pre-kindergarten through higher education, deserve a great public education. Education Minnesota believes the five points below are essential for that to happen:

• Give all Minnesota students the right start. Minnesota’s current efforts in early education are trailing the nation. The state has under-provided access to quality, public pre-kindergarten programs and voluntary all-day, every-day kindergarten in our public schools. By fully funding these programs at the state level, we can ensure access to all Minnesota children.
• Improve access to higher education. The Legislature must reduce the tuition burden that discourages many students from attending college or forces them to take on unacceptable levels of debt. This requires policymakers to recommit to funding two-thirds of the cost of educating a public college student, which is written into state law, and also funding the cost of inflation, technology infrastructures, and recruitment and retention of quality faculty.
• Create the best possible learning environment for K-12 students. This includes many initiatives, from covering inflationary funding increases to reducing class sizes and adequately funding special education.
• Create a system of meaningful accountability in Minnesota. Teachers, parents, students, administrators and policymakers must all be held accountable for the success of our schools, both in terms of academic growth and adequate funding to introduce and sustain quality programs.
• Attract and keep the best teachers. Every Minnesota student deserves a great teacher. To keep the best and brightest in our classrooms, the Legislature must provide professional salaries and benefits, quality mentoring programs, and career-long professional development while maintaining high licensure standards.