The Minnesota Legislature adjourned May 23 with no deal to spend the state’s $9.25 billion surplus. As of press time, there was no plan for a special session to pass any of the proposals, including $1 billion for education. https://educationminnesota.org/news/minnesota-educator/legislature-leaves-with-unfinished-business-for-schools-more/

Education Minnesota members will soon have access to a free online training which they will need in order to have teacher candidates in their classroom. https://educationminnesota.org/news/minnesota-educator/free-online-class-provides-support-for-cooperating-teachers/

Minnesota’s $9.25 billion surplus gives the Legislature an unprecedented opportunity to settle up with public schools that have been shortchanged for years and give students and educators the resources they need. The House DFL’s education budget this year would be real movement toward fully funding our schools. Senate Republicans offer no help to public schools at a time students and educators need more support, forcing districts to make harmful budget cuts and lay off staff. Here’s an overview of the two proposals for fiscal year 2023. https://educationminnesota.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04

It’s not uncommon for teachers to clock in extra hours each day to ensure they meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs. But everything from answering emails to grading papers adds up: A typical teacher works about 54 hours a week—with just under half of that time devoted to directly teaching students, a new survey finds. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/heres-how-many-hours-a-week-teachers-work/2022/04

“I have no words to describe what it is like to be a teacher right now.”

That is what I tweeted at the end of a day earlier this month, sitting on the couch while COVID-19 cases surged everywhere. As a writer and a teacher, I had no words to describe what was happening. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-stress-hypervigilance-and-decision-fatigue-teaching-during-omicron/2022/01

A Garlough teacher is included among the candidates for the annual Minnesota Teacher of the Year award. The teacher, Anne Bolsem, teaches kindergarten at Garlough Environmental Magnet School in West St. Paul. https://weststpaulreader.com/2022/02/02/teacher-of-the-year-candidate/