The MREA Board of Directors met in Cross Lake in late July, with much excitement, anticipation, uncertainty and work at hand. This marked the first official Board meeting for MREA Executive Director Darrin Strosahl, who started his role July 1. Strosahl and the MREA Team and Board reviewed strategic plan progress, heard from Board members on operational priorities and focused on improving the member experience and value.
MREA’s meeting came just as the election and legislative cycle is pivoting. Coming off of the DFL Trifecta biennium there’s much to dissect and a lot of unanswered questions about what’s next for rural education. Tim Walz’s ascension to the national stage adds more question marks to the potential chessboard of players in St. Paul next January, when a new legislative budget setting cycle kicks off.
Minnesota’s Evolving Legislative Landscape
The state House of Representatives is on the ballot and once again the suburbs and larger regional hub districts will determine partisan control of the House. The state Senate is not supposed to be on the ballot, but Sen. Kelly Morrison (DFL Minnetonka) resigned her seat in June to run for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District (western suburbs). That leaves the state Senate in a 33-33 tie with control decided in a special election that will be held on the general election date. If the Harris-Walz ticket wins in November, Governor Walz will eventually need to vacate the office of Governor in the lead up to the official swearing into the office of VPOTUS late January. Should that happen, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan will assume the office of Governor of Minnesota, becoming the first female Governor of Minnesota, and the first female Governor with indigenous heritage to be the Governor of any state in the union.
The potential domino effect of Walz to VP and Flanagan to Governor means the last presiding officer of the state Senate, currently Bobby Jo Champion (DFL Minneapolis), is automatically elevated to the office of Lt. Governor, which will require him to vacate his Senate seat, meaning a special election would need to be called. This of course would happen right on the precipice of the new legislative session in January, creating a potential situation where the state Senate is locked in a 33-33 tie for the first few months of the new legislative session. Sen. Champion is from a very safe DFL district so in this scenario there wouldn’t be any real chance for the GOP to flip the chamber.
Emerging Legislative Priorities
If there’s a continued DFL Trifecta we should expect the labor movement to continue pushing for legislative action mandating compensation increases through the minimum wage, minimum hourly wages for school support staff, potentially minimum salary requirements for teachers, in addition to improving pension benefits and health insurance coverage. Many of these ideas conceptually align with MREA priorities to improve the teaching profession. Of course, the big question is what is truly affordable and will the state budget forecast in December show a surplus of revenue to make real strides in these areas. A deeper question in a potential second round of DFL Trifecta legislative activity, is what will become of local collective bargaining if the state starts to weigh in more heavily on labor contract requirements. Will the thin Senate DFL majority start to pump the breaks as they look to their campaign season in the summer and fall of 2026?
If a divided Legislature emerges either through the GOP taking over the House or winning the November special election in state Senate District 45 the situation at the Capitol will dramatically change in January. A GOP House or Senate won’t be able to accomplish much with a DFLer still occupying the Governor’s office, but it will certainly mean a slowing of legislative action and significant review of the first DFL Trifecta’s agenda that has become law. Divided government could also mean a prolonged budget session and we’ve seen divided sessions drift all the way to June 30, and beyond, and that will be on the minds of legislators, staff and lobbyists if the voters send a divided legislature to St. Paul after November.
MREA Priorities for the Next Budget Cycle
The MREA Board discussed many issues, including several with MDE officials, this past July. From facilities to pensions, continued funding for Unemployment Insurance, the READ Act, formula increases and more, there’s no shortage of funding streams that need to be addressed. MREA will host Fall Member Meetings to hear from members about what is most pressing in your district. Our board meets again in October to review your priorities with an eye toward our annual platform discussion at the Summit, and eventual approval at our annual meeting in December.
New Board Directors to be Elected this Fall
Are you interested in serving on the MREA Board of Directors? MREA will launch the call for Board of Director applications in September. Watch your Insider Briefs for details.
