Tim Walz’ budget proposal would end tuition assistance for private school students

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently proposed a budget cut that would hurt private school students, eliminating resources and possibly causing a spike in tuition.

Walz’ 2025 biennial budget would eliminate all state funding for private school and homeschool students, including money for textbooks, transportation, standardized testing and student support services available through local public schools, Alpha News reported.

The funding has been in place for nearly 50 years, fulfilling state law that every student has equal access to educational benefits, regardless of where they attend school.

Now nonpublic school students, including 73,000 private school students and more than 29,000 homeschooled students, would lose about $1,080 annually in support, costing some families tens of thousands of dollars over their children’s K-12 education. 

Private school advocates and the state’s Catholic conference are opposing the cuts, which represent just 0.4% of the state’s K-12 education budget. 

“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, associate director of educational quality and excellence of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. 

Forgette said the average annual cost to educate a Minnesota child across the Catholic school system is $8,532, less than half of the more than $18,000 per pupil that public schools spend. 

“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. 

Nonpublic school students save Minnesota taxpayers nearly $500 million annually, according to the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC). Additionally, MCC says that taking this funding away would hurt low-income families and force some parents to work more to afford the same education for their children. 

“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,” Forgette said. 

But Walz, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for vice president last November, claims his budget proposal embodies “fiscal responsibility.” 

“This budget is responsible, measured, and honest​,” he said in a press release. “Our plan sets Minnesota up for success in the future by addressing long-term budget challenges and protecting the investments we made to improve lives, including universal meals, paid family and medical leave, and tax cuts for seniors and middle-class families.” 

The progressive values of Minnesota public schools have faced intense criticism, most notably over Walz’ insistence on putting tampons in boys’ bathrooms. 

Critics of Walz’ budget are urging lawmakers to reject the cuts and maintain the customary funding. 

Currently, Minnesota and neighboring Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin all provide some benefits to nonpublic school students, Alpha News reported. Nationally, a total of 20 states help nonpublic students access textbooks and learning materials, according to the Center of the American Experiment, which also opposes the cuts.