FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrew Wagner
651-895-2451 (cell)
Andrew.Wagner@house.mn
News Release
KRESHA: SCHOOL PLAN IS SIMPLE: OPEN THEM SAFELY, IMMEDIATELY
ST. PAUL, MN — On Wednesday Gov. Tim Walz is expected to outline a schools plan billed as a strategy "to bring more middle and high school students back to the classroom." The Governor's news release indicates that transmission rates for teachers is a minuscule .37% even with many private, charter, and some public schools already back in the classroom. Rep. Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, a former educator and Republican Lead on the House Education Finance Committee, issued the following statement ahead of the Governor's news conference:
"The plan for reopening schools is simple: open them safely, immediately," Kresha said. "The Governor's own data shows that transmission among teachers is effectively zero. Countless pediatricians, epidemiologists, and other experts have indicated that kids can safely return to the classroom, and that continued closures have devastating consequences that outweigh the risks especially for Minnesotans' most vulnerable students. If the Governor follows the CDC's lead and throws up politically-motivated roadblocks, his plan will be a plan to close our schools — not to get them open."
According to a recent analysis from CNN, on Friday when the guidance was released, 99 percent of students were in a red or "high-transmission" community that calls for hybrid or distance learning for all students.
Rep. Kresha added that Gov. Walz is issuing top-down guidance that was crafted without input from lawmakers or parent groups who are pushing for schools to reopen.
"Lawmakers once again have had no voice and no input in crafting these far-reaching plans. The Governor has solicited no input from lawmakers or advocates beyond the special interest campaign contributors who control every education policy decision in this state. If the Governor wants to solicit input, House Republicans have several current and former teachers with decades of experience in the classroom — we've been waiting by our phones for months, but the Governor and his administration have made clear they have no interest in a collaborative approach," Kresha concluded.
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