Creating a Vision for Minnesota / Evaluating Changes in Education

Last May, in front of a crowd of DFL leaders, committee chairs and lawmakers, Governor Tim Walz held a One Minnesota Budget signing ceremony, signaling a major shift to progressive policies in the state. Governor Walz joins Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke to talk about the cost of raising kids, new state agencies, the attack on Israel, international trade and his plans for the 2024 legislative session.

The budget approved during the 2023 legislative session included an E-12 education policy and funding bill that used a portion of the budget surplus to boost spending by more than $2.2 billion. Senator Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, chair of the Senate Education Finance Committee, recently toured several Minnesota schools to see how the additional dollars are being used. She joins Shannon to talk about the tours, the future work of the committee, Indigenous Peoples' Day as a state holiday and the importance of libraries.

Also in the program, highlights of the most recent meeting of the Legislative Task Force on Aging and a look at the Minnesota Capitol's "Spiral for Justice" Memorial honoring Roy Wilkins.