06/08/2026
Statement from Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash on Minnesota’s Falling Education Scores
Minnesota parents do not need more excuses from Tim Walz and Amy Klobuchar. They need results.
The latest Kids Count report confirms what too many families already know: Minnesota students are falling further behind. Minnesota’s education ranking has dropped to 21st in the nation. In 2024, 69% of Minnesota fourth graders were not proficient in reading, and 66% of Minnesota eighth graders were not proficient in math.
The numbers speak for themselves. Two-thirds of our kids are not where they need to be in reading or math, and this is not a one-year problem. Since 2019, the share of Minnesota fourth graders not proficient in reading has increased by 7 percentage points, and the share of eighth graders not proficient in math has increased by 10 percentage points.
This is a trend that has plagued Minnesota under Tim Walz, and now Amy Klobuchar needs to answer whether she would continue the same failed agenda.
Governor Walz has had years of record spending, one-party control, and every opportunity to fix this. Instead, Minnesota students lost ground. He spent more, grew the bureaucracy, protected the system, and delivered worse results for kids.
Amy Klobuchar cannot hide behind the United States Senate anymore. If she wants to lead Minnesota, she needs to tell parents what her plan is. Will she break from Tim Walz and empower parents, especially families trapped in failing schools? Will she support Minnesota opting into the federal scholarship tax credit so families have immediate access to private and alternative school options at no cost to the state? Or will this be like every other Klobuchar policy — just more of the same Tim Walz agenda?
The question for Amy Klobuchar is simple: when a school is failing a child, does she stand with the parent or with the bureaucracy?
Minnesota Republicans believe every child deserves a great education no matter their ZIP code, income, or background. We will fight to restore academic excellence, give parents real choices, and put students ahead of the special interests that have failed them.
