Good morning, and welcome to the last day of August.
Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen laid out an education plan Tuesday that includes a mechanism that would allow students to attend private schools if their families choose. MPR News reporter Dana Ferguson reports the plan Jensen laid out at the State Fair would also give parents more information about what's being taught in schools, and prohibits what he called political correctness and divisive curriculums. Jensen said education should focus on the basics of reading, writing and math. "We want to make this all about the kids. This is not about indoctrination. This is not about fueling someone's pet curriculum program," Jensen said. "This has got to be basic foundational education. That's what we're sending our kids to school for, K-12." Jensen's proposal also seeks tougher enforcement of student truancy laws and additional crisis intervention for at-risk or violent students. Gov. Tim Walz's campaign manager Nichole Johnson called it "a radical plan" to convert public schools into private schools and put politicians in charge of students' learning.
Republicans sharply criticized Walz Tuesday for comments they say minimized academic hardship in Minnesota schools during COVID-19. Walz said during a WCCO-TV interview on Sunday that 80 percent of school children missed fewer than 10 days in the classroom. Many public schools had months of remote or hybrid classes across two school years. Walz didn't specify a time frame for his remark in that interview, but clarified Tuesday that he was referring to the most recent school year when schools largely returned to full classroom learning. Several studies and recent test results show distance learning contributed to learning difficulties.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar visited Ukraine this week and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. Klobuchar made the trip with Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman. A release from her office Tuesday said the two received a firsthand account of Russia's war on Ukraine and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Ukraine, NATO, and other allies in the region. "One of the most pressing issues we discussed is the Russian capture of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency must be allowed to access the plant and Russia should agree to a demilitarized zone around it in order to prevent a catastrophe," Klobuchar said in a statement. "It is clear - the Ukrainian people are committed to protecting their homeland. They will not be beaten down by Putin's evil, and the U.S. and our allies must continue to support Ukraine as it stands up to Russia."
A judge has backed a Republican state senator in his bid to remain on Minnesota's ballot amid a residency challenge from a political rival. Brian Bakst reports. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Torrey Westrom moved to a different house in western Minnesota after new political boundaries dramatically reconfigured his district. The move occurred just before a deadline for establishing residency. His political detractors questioned whether the move was legitimate and whether he was actually living in the new residence. A Supreme Court-appointed referee took days of testimony and has issued findings that conclude Westrom properly established residency. Judge Diane Bratvold says aside from moving belongings, the senator changed legal documents, churches and other family arrangements. Bratvold concluded that the petition against Westrom was thin. The case returns to the Supreme Court, but justices tend to follow referee findings in such cases. "I'm grateful that after a two-day trial, the conclusion matches what we've said from the beginning, that we moved last May and I had properly changed residency before May 8, 2022, and we do indeed live in Senate District 12 and meet the residency requirement for the election," Westrom said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to continuing on the campaign trail, advocating for our rural values, and meeting with voters to earn their support."
MinnPost has a roundup of how Minnesota ranked in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out, it kind of depends who's doing the rankings, and there's a lot of politics involved. As the story notes: Now, two and a half years later, the state's response has become one of the main issues in the 2022 election, especially in the race for governor where Tim Walz is running for reelection. Walz was both the leader of the state's actions and the personification of its successes and failures. GOP nominee Scott Jensen was an early critic of pandemic responses, gaining a national audience when he claimed doctors and hospitals were categorizing deaths as COVID-related as a way of getting higher reimbursements from insurance and government.
A special legislative session could still be a possibility. Negotiations on a public works construction package have resumed among Minnesota legislative leaders. House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt said Tuesday that his caucus is open to a potential special session to approve a building package. He said it would have to keep new construction borrowing to about $1.4 billion in general obligation bonds and be focused on specific needs. "Projects that are regionally important, infrastructure projects," Daudt said, "Whether it be wastewater, drinking water or transportation infrastructure projects." Minority caucus support is critical because borrowing bills require a supermajority to pass. Discussions on other leftover items from the Legislature's session haven't been as promising. That could mean decisions about tax cuts and new program spending remain sidelined until the 2023 session convenes. In an interview with MPR News DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman suggested it's unlikely the Legislature will agree on a stalled tax-and-spending deal that could be approved this fall. "The governor and I are ready to go. If we could get the Senate Republicans to agree to finish the work of the session, we would do that right away," Hortman said. "If we have to wait until a new Legislature is sworn in in January, we are ready to rock and roll on it at that time." | 
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