This week, progressives in the Minnesota House and Senate passed a budget that makes record investments in higher education. The bill is now headed to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk to be signed into law.
The Higher Education budget funds the Office of Higher Education, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the University of Minnesota campuses, the Mayo Clinic Medical School, and Minnesota’s Tribal Colleges.
Under this new budget, students with a household income under $80,000 can attend Minnesota colleges and universities for free!
Not only does this measure help mitigate the financial barrier to higher education, but progressives are hopeful that with financial support, Minnesota colleges will be able to fight declining enrollment and help alleviate the state’s labor shortage.
In fact, the budget heavily invests in higher education programs that focus on preparing students directly for the workforce, with many scholarships focused on assisting students pursuing high-demand jobs.
Additionally, the budget proposal dedicates significant investments to the Office of Higher Education for grants to three Minnesota Tribal Colleges.
Progressives are leading the way on education
Aside from this work to invest in our higher education system, progressives have also been working to fund education from the ground up.
This session, we’ve seen tremendous legislation supporting Minnesota students and teachers across the state, from Universal School Meals to investments in recruiting and retaining teachers of color.
And Governor Walz introduced a $12 billion budget proposal to make the largest public education investment in the state’s history!
More good things to come for Minnesota
With only a few weeks left of the legislative session, we can’t wait to see how Governor Walz and the progressive leadership at the Capitol will continue to work together to invest in our communities and build a better Minnesota.
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