Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth presented a wide-ranging education platform on Thursday as part of her bid for governor, proposing a system of performance-based pay for teachers, safety grants across public and private campuses, and revisions to the state’s universal free school meals law.
Demuth, the Republican nominee for governor, rolled out the policy proposals alongside her running mate, Ryan Wilson, during a morning press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol. Demuth is campaigning to defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the November general election, placing classroom performance and school spending at the center of the gubernatorial race.
The policy initiative arrives as Minnesota public school systems continue to grapple with learning loss and academic stagnation following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to state assessment data from last year, fewer than half of public school students statewide met grade-level benchmarks in reading and mathematics, with a significant share of districts unable to return to their pre-pandemic test score averages.
Citing her ten-year tenure as a local school board member prior to entering the Minnesota Legislature, Demuth framed her governance experience as essential for lifting statewide student achievement. She pledged that her administration would concentrate on foundational competencies in science, math, and reading while easing administrative burdens on local school districts.
A central element of Demuth’s platform involves instituting a "pay for performance" framework for classroom educators. Emphasizing that higher-performing educators deserve increased compensation, Demuth advocated for rewarding effective teaching, though she did not outline the specific evaluation criteria or standardized metrics her administration would use to determine bonuses or salary adjustments.
Performance-based compensation models in other states and school districts typically evaluate educators through a mixture of classroom observations and measurable student academic growth. However, the concept faces political headwinds from organized labor; Education Minnesota, the state’s primary teachers union, has already formally endorsed Klobuchar in the gubernatorial contest.
Demuth also addressed Minnesota’s universal school meals law, which was passed in 2023 under the Democratic-Farmer-Labor trifecta to provide no-cost breakfast and lunch to all public school pupils. Demuth signaled an intention to adjust the program's eligibility, arguing that state-subsidized meals should not be distributed to children belonging to families earning six- or seven-figure annual incomes.
In addition to adjusting meal programs, Demuth’s plan would allow local school districts to opt out of certain state mandates. She specifically highlighted the state's paid family leave requirements as an example of costly administrative regulations from which local educational boards should be permitted to seek exemptions in order to spend educational funds more efficiently.
Classroom technology and digital devices also emerged as a point of contrast between the candidates. While Klobuchar has pledged to enact a statewide ban on mobile phones in classrooms alongside reductions in screen time, Demuth said she prefers encouraging local districts to regulate screen time independently rather than implementing a universal state prohibition.
On school choice and funding, Demuth advocated for Minnesota to participate in federal tax-incentive programs, specifically pointing to a $1,700 tax credit established under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That provision allows individuals to claim tax credits for donations made to nonprofit organizations that award educational scholarships for both public and private school programs.
The tax credit has drawn opposition from state education officials. The Minnesota Department of Education has criticized the policy as a backdoor private school voucher system, arguing that such tax credit mechanisms disproportionately advantage higher-income households rather than bolstering broad public school funding.
Demuth’s educational agenda also calls for the repeal of what she termed "woke" academic standards introduced under the administration of DFL Gov. Tim Walz. When questioned about which specific guidelines would be targeted, Demuth stated that her administration would conduct a review of existing state curriculum mandates to eliminate any rules that distract from core academic subjects.
As part of that curriculum shift, the Republican platform recommends restructuring Minnesota’s teacher licensing board. Demuth stated that licensing standards should be recalibrated to prepare future graduates for the workforce rather than functioning as an avenue for political activism, reflecting broader conservative criticisms regarding political ideology in public schooling.
Finally, Demuth outlined plans to expand state school safety aid, ensuring that private, charter, and traditional public schools are all equally eligible to receive campus security funding. The proposal contrasts with previous state budget maneuvers under Gov. Walz, who had previously proposed reducing certain state subsidies to private schools during revenue downturns, though those reductions were ultimately rejected by the Legislature.
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