We Make MN

09/03/2026

“Fully funding education? It’d be amazing!”

Meet Sarah Bosch, a science teacher in Saint Paul Public Schools.

When asked what increased funding would look like in her school, her answer came easily. Special education services would be fully covered, instead of forcing the district to pull money from other needs to fill the gap. Libraries would be fully staffed and filled with books students actually want to read. Classroom materials would be provided by the school, rather than paid for out of teachers’ pockets. Teaching assistants would be in every classroom to make sure each student gets the support they need. Nurses would always have the resources to help sick students.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality for Saint Paul Public Schools. Earlier this summer, SPPS approved a budget to close a $14.35 million shortfall by eliminating 115 jobs. Officials say that state funding has not kept up with the costs of running a school.

It is not just a St. Paul problem. Even after accounting for inflation, state aid to Minnesota schools remains 8.6% below 2003 levels, despite meaningful investments made in the 2023 legislative session to narrow that gap. Now that progress is reversing as nearly 90% of school districts are projected to lose state aid over the next two years.

As Sarah said, the status quo is not working for teachers. But she’s also clear that the fix isn’t only about more funding for her classroom: “We can do our job so much better when our students are supported in the community.” Sarah’s students are Minnesota’s future doctors and scientists. Giving them a real shot to succeed requires investing in more than just her classroom: housing, healthcare, transportation, and all the public goods that help students thrive.

08/24/2026

“I’m very worried about the future of Higher Ed in Minnesota. We have a mission to train our job force for our state, and if we don’t have the funds to teach people where they’re at, then we can’t do that mission.”

Meet John Ferrara, a computer systems administrator for Winona State University. John helps keep the university’s technology running, giving students access to the tools they need to graduate ready for the workforce.

But that work is getting harder as state funding falls behind. According to Winona State’s budget documents, the university’s state appropriation dropped from $45.4 million to $43.0 million in FY26. Facing a deficit created by that funding decrease and rising health insurance costs, Winona State has had a hiring freeze in place since fall 2025, holding over 40 positions vacant. 13 of those vacant jobs will be eliminated next year. These staffing shortages require people like John to pick up the slack by filling in at the Help Desk to reset passwords and fix classroom equipment. These added responsibilities take time away from John’s primary duties and delay the services that the University relies on.

This problem is not unique to Winona State. Faculty and staff from across the Minnesota State system are facing similar budget pressures and are having to do more with less. Students are feeling it too: this fall, thousands of Minnesota college students will see their financial aid cut due to a $131 million shortfall in the Minnesota State Grant Program, with some students losing their aid entirely.

Higher education used to be treated as a public good necessary to build an innovative, competitive economy. After World War II, the GI Bill sent millions of veterans to college, training 450,000 engineers, 360,000 teachers, 180,000 doctors, dentists and nurses, and more than 2 million skilled tradespeople. It became one of the best investments the country ever made. Today, higher education is increasingly treated like a luxury, one that many Minnesotans can no longer afford.

08/18/2026

“I’m making sure somebody has food to eat. I’m making sure somebody has healthcare so they can get cancer treatment. I’m making sure somebody has a home to call their own. And that’s what keeps me going every day.”

Meet Benjamin Henry, President of AFSCME Local 517 in Washington County. As a Senior Eligibility Specialist, Benjamin determines eligibility for programs like SNAP, Medicaid, General Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Aid, Emergency Assistance, and housing support across the state. His work keeps Minnesotans fed, housed, and healthy.

But the system meant to help people in need is being stretched past its limits. Benjamin says the average caseload for a financial worker in his office is around 450 cases, and it’s about to get worse. Starting in 2027, federal changes will require counties to redetermine Medicaid eligibility twice a year instead of annually. This effectively doubles Benjamin’s workload without providing any additional staff. Even before these changes, people are already going a month or two without the support they need because there aren’t enough workers to process their cases in time.

Benjamin is a firm believer in Paul Wellstone’s famous quote, “We all do better when we all do better.” Public investments to help those in need benefit all of society. A 2023 study tracked nearly 200,000 SNAP applicants and found that within two to three years, people who received benefits were more likely to be working and earning more than those who were denied. By covering basic needs, people were able to focus on finding steady work and getting back on their feet, rather than scrambling to survive or falling victim to hopelessness. As Benjamin says, taking care of our neighbors is not merely about giving handouts; it’s a hand up that helps everyone contribute to the society we want to live in.

Public workers like Benjamin do this work because they want to help people. But funding cuts and federal policy changes are preventing Minnesotans from getting the resources they need.

We don’t have to accept a status quo that leaves families without food or healthcare just because there is not enough staff to process their ap

08/12/2026

“People are starting to see this system is not working, and what they are being fed is not true.”

What we heard in Rochester echoes what we are hearing across Minnesota: The status quo is broken and Minnesotans are ready for a different direction.

From home-care workers to teachers to mental health professionals, our basic needs are not being met. People working two or three jobs just to make ends meet; families going without the care they need; public services stretched thin as we ask those trying to help to do more with less.

These problems aren’t inevitable. They result from decades of policy choices aimed at undermining the building blocks of a strong society. From healthcare to education to the social safety net, we have underfunded our basic needs in favor of the preferences of corporations who profit off of our pain.

But a better way is possible, and it starts with a commitment to support the collective needs that we all depend on. It’s time to put people and communities first, and invest in the schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and environmental protections that make Minnesota a great place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.

Minnesotans are ready for a new direction and it’s time that our elected leaders listen and follow along.

08/07/2026

“The bottom line is without the funding that we need to support the people, we can’t do our work.”

Meet Chandra Peterson, a vocational counselor with Minnesota’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services and president of MAPE Local 1902. She works with deaf Minnesotans across the southern part of the state to set career goals and develop the necessary skills to enter the workforce. This work allows people with disabilities to live independently, contribute to their communities, and move off of public assistance programs.

The need for these services has grown, but state support hasn’t kept up. A one-time increase in federal funding allowed VRS to temporarily meet demand, but funding from the state has stagnated, creating a $23.3 million shortfall that resulted in 80 layoffs in 2025.

Instead of expanding services and helping more Minnesotans get on their feet, VRS now has a waitlist, and the range of services provided has been scaled back.

Federal Medicaid changes make this problem worse. New work requirements mean people need to have a job to keep their coverage, but the very program that helps people with disabilities find those jobs doesn’t have the capacity to serve them fast enough. As Chandra says, people get stuck on a waitlist, can’t get the services they need, and lose their Medicaid coverage as a result. Instead of advancing in their careers, these Minnesotans with disabilities will fall further behind.

Workers like Chandra help some of our most vulnerable residents reach their full potential. But those services require investment from the state. This funding will pay off as each person helped by VRS enters the workforce, contributes to the economy, and relies less on public assistance.

Chandra’s story is part of a pattern we continue to see across the state: Underfunding services that actually reduce costs over the long run, often leading to deeper dependence and social disconnection. A system that spends more for worse outcomes is broken. Minnesotans deserve better than this deeply flawed status quo.

08/05/2026

83% of Missouri voters just rejected an amendment to eliminate the state income tax and shift the tax burden to working families.

That plan would have cut services and given the richest 1% a $40k/year tax cut.

Red state or blue state, everyone wants a fair tax code to fund our society.

Missouri voters resoundingly rejected major Republican priorities on Tuesday as proposals to eliminate the income tax and change the way majorities are counted lost by large margins across the state.

08/05/2026

“I love working with kids, and love seeing the 'aha' moments when it's something that they've been working on and it starts to click with them.”

Meet Mike Ness, an educational support professional (ESP) at Harriet Bishop Elementary in Rochester. Mike helps students who need extra support on academics or behavior. He spends 6 years working with the same kids from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Despite their critical role in our schools, many ESPs are struggling to get by. In 2022-23, the average full-time salary in Minnesota was just $34,289. Nationally, 38% of ESPs earn less than $25,000 per year and more than a quarter use public assistance programs, the same programs that many of their students depend on. Starting out at just $19 per hour, many ESPs have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet.

At the same time, the job is getting more physically demanding. Mike says he’s seeing more people get hurt on the job every year as the student population grows and staffing does not keep up. His experience is not uncommon, as the rates of violence and aggression towards educators have increased following the pandemic.

This combination of low pay and dangerous work conditions doesn’t just hurt the staff doing the work today. It is pushing experienced ESPs away and discouraging young professionals from entering the field, even as demand for these services continues to rise. In the past decade, even though overall enrollment has declined, the number of students using special education services has increased from 110,000 to 150,000, representing roughly 18% of the student population in Minnesota public schools.

As Mike says, ESPs are the foundation of the education system. Retaining skilled staff members is essential to keeping vulnerable students safe and supported. ESPs like Mike spend six hours a day with his students, ensuring they get the personalized support they need to succeed. But chronic underfunding is forcing ESPs to do more with less. This status quo is broken, and Minnesotans deserve better.

07/30/2026

“We have enough money to pay my bills, and that is it. We’re lucky if we have food. You know, that’s where we are at. It’s my love for him that’s what’s holding me up. Because there isn’t any other options.”

Meet Rachel, a home-care worker and SEIU member living in Mankato, caring for her severely disabled son. Rachel is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a physically and emotionally demanding job with little access to respite care to give her a break.

As an in-home caregiver, Rachel is not eligible to pay into or receive Social Security. Making around $20 per hour with no retirement benefits, workers like Rachel scrape by on razor-thin budgets and with limited prospects for long-term financial stability.

Caregivers like Rachel depend on Medicaid programs to survive, and we all depend on them, to care for our loved ones and those most in need.

Across the state, nearly 1.3 million Minnesotans rely on Medicaid for healthcare and other lifesaving benefits, including almost one in three Minnesota children. Medicaid home care programs allow families like Rachel’s to care for a disabled family member at home. It is also a better deal for taxpayers. Home and community-based care in Minnesota costs tens of thousands of dollars less per person each year than nursing facility care, saving us all money while allowing Minnesotans with disabilities to live with dignity at home.

But that system is being threatened. President Trump’s Medicaid cuts are expected to reduce federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota by $19 billion over the next ten years, leaving as many as 170,000 Minnesotans without insurance and basic services.

Rachel has already felt these impacts. Her son’s care budget was cut by more than $10,000 this year including reduced access to medical transportation that severely limits their ability to reach specialty doctors that are essential for her son’s care and long-term well-being.

07/30/2026

"We have enough money to pay my bills, and that is it. We’re lucky if we have food. You know, that's where we are at. It's my love for him that’s what’s holding me up. Because there isn't any other options."

Meet Rachel, a home-care worker and SEIU member living in Mankato, caring for her severely disabled son. Rachel is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a physically and emotionally demanding job with little access to respite care to give her a break.

As an in-home caregiver, Rachel is not eligible to pay into or receive Social Security. Making around $20 per hour with no retirement benefits, workers like Rachel scrape by on razor-thin budgets and with limited prospects for long-term financial stability.

Caregivers like Rachel depend on Medicaid programs to survive, and we all depend on them, to care for our loved ones and those most in need.

Across the state, nearly 1.3 million Minnesotans rely on Medicaid for healthcare and other lifesaving benefits, including almost one in three Minnesota children. Medicaid home care programs allow families like Rachel’s to care for a disabled family member at home. It is also a better deal for taxpayers.

Home and community-based care in Minnesota costs tens of thousands of dollars less per person each year than nursing facility care, saving us all money while allowing Minnesotans with disabilities to live with dignity at home.

But that system is being threatened. President Trump’s Medicaid cuts are expected to reduce federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota by $19 billion over the next ten years, leaving as many as 170,000 Minnesotans without insurance and basic services.

Rachel has already felt these impacts. Her son’s care budget was cut by more than $10,000 this year including reduced access to medical transportation that severely limits their ability to reach specialty doctors that are essential for her son's care and long-term well-being.

Rachel is one of 35,000 home-care workers represented by SEIU across Minnesota caring for seniors and people with disabilities in their own homes. Every cut to Medicaid is a cut to their ability to do that work and to the families who depend on it. These cuts are being placed on the backs of some of the lowest-income and hardest-working people in our state. In the richest country in the history of the world, this is unacceptable.

This is what happens when public goods are underfunded: essential workers are stretched to their breaking point and the people who depend on them pay the price. Minnesotans deserve better than a status quo that punishes those in the most difficult circumstances.

Follow along as we talk with more Minnesotans like Rachel, about the challenges in their communities and the brighter world we can create if we work together.

07/29/2026

Corporate profits have climbed to record highs as a share of our economy.

Corporate tax payments have fallen to some of their lowest levels in decades.

When corporations pay less, the rest of us pay more to support the roads, schools, and services we rely on.

It's time for corporations to pay their fair share.