SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota lawmakers are considering new funding to address teacher retention challenges across the state, with a proposal to allocate an additional $2 million in 2027 toward keeping K-12 educators in the classroom.
The legislation, authored by DFL lawmakers and sponsored by Representative Josiah Hill of Stillwater, comes as data shows about one in three teachers in Minnesota leave the profession within their first five years.
Hill pointed to long-standing concerns about early-career burnout in teaching.
“I was told repeatedly by professors that if I could make it through the first five years of a teaching career, then I was likely to stick around for the long haul. And I can remember a professor openly telling our class that 30 to 50% of us would not reach that five-year mark. Again, that was 30 years ago,” Hill said.
Supporters say the funding would help address factors driving teachers out of the profession, including workload and lack of support. Justin Killian, an education issues specialist with Education Minnesota, said those challenges can be severe.
“I had not one, not two, but six talk to me about the fact that they think about suicide on a weekly basis. Our members told us loud and clear that it was lack of workplace supports, no supports for student mental health, and demanding workloads that were leading to them leaving the profession,” Killian said.
However, some Republicans say the approach should also highlight schools where retention is already strong. Representative Duane Quam of Byron said lawmakers should study successful districts.
“There are some school districts that actually teachers are moving to after they’ve been teaching for a while. And frankly, we should start focusing on, we got districts where we don’t have these problems. The teachers are happy. You need to look at the positives,” Quam said.
The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a larger omnibus budget bill.
