Minnesota schools tanked under Gov Tim Walz

Republican State Senator Carla Nelson, a former teacher, expressed her concerns in an interview with the New York Post, stating that Walz "spent most of the last two years working to accommodate far-left demands in his party rather than working to address real education issues" in Minnesota.

“The Walz agenda has included burdensome mandates on schools… [that] have since led to budget shortfalls across the state and pulled teachers away from their students to comply with requirements,” Nelson added.

According to the New York Post, reading proficiency in Minnesota dropped from 59.2 percent in 2019 to 49.9 percent in 2023 under Walz's governorship. Additionally, the 2021-22 academic year saw 30 percent of students chronically absent, more than double the rate in 2019.

Critics also pointed to changes in the state's social studies standards under Walz, which now require K-12 curricula to include an "ethnic studies" component. This addition has been criticized as an attempt to indoctrinate students with radical left-wing ideology.

Despite Walz attempting to increase his appeal by highlighting his background as a high school social studies teacher and football coach in Minnesota, his tenure as governor has been marked by decisions that many believe have harmed the state's educational standing. Notably, he adhered to teachers unions' demands to extend school closures during the pandemic.

Critics have argued that this move contributed to the state's drop in national education rankings from 7th in 2021 to 19th in 2024, as reported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book.

"As Governor, Tim Walz chose teachers union money over putting students first, and the results have been disastrous," said House Majority Whip and Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer. "Minnesota students’ test scores fell to their lowest levels in decades because of Walz’s failed, anti-student agenda."