KTTC: State support for private school security in wake of Minneapolis shooting

A 2023 letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is getting renewed attention following the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

It was penned by the leaders of MINNDEPENDENT, a nonprofit advocating for the state’s private and independent schools, and the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Their letter came on the heels of a shooting at a Nashville Christian school. The groups asked for the governor’s support in getting state lawmakers to include private schools in two programs—the Building and Cyber Security Grant program and the Safe Schools program.

“An attack on any school, whether it is a public, nonpublic, charter or another school site, cannot be tolerated or allowed to happen in Minnesota,” the letter read. “We want to make sure Minnesota is doing everything it can to ensure that all our students are safe and secure. We ask you include $50 million in the final Education Finance bill and allow nonpublic schools to apply for funding.”

The state funding at the center of the 2023 request wasn’t approved by Minnesota’s legislature—meaning there wasn’t additional funding for public schools either. Additional talks in Saint Paul stalled out during this most recent legislative session.

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According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the state is providing approximately $110 million, over the next two years, to private schools in the state. This is in the form of supplemental aid aimed at freeing up budgets to fund areas like safety and security.

Read the full article at KTTC.