Kendall Qualls Criticizes Minneapolis and St. Paul Teachers’ Unions, Says Families Shouldn’t Suffer Any Longer

MINNEAPOLIS – Today marks the last day of negotiation talks between teachers’ unions from Minneapolis and St. Paul and district administrators. Agreeing with a recent editorial posted by the Star Tribune calling this the “worst time for teachers to strike,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls criticized the unions for the impact this decision will have on families and education. 

“More time out of the classroom is not going to solve the issue of declining enrollment or dwindling test scores. Parents and children want a quality education, but a teacher’s union strike will only continue the suffering. Over the course of two years, our kids have lost out on significant educational opportunities due to remote learning, school shutdowns, and Covid-19 mandates. While other states prioritized in-person learning, Governor Walz forced Minnesota to sit back and allow our students to fall behind. Even worse, Walz is indebted to the same teachers’ unions that are trying to force both district’s hands at the expense of students. This corrupt relationship isn’t fair to families as they’ve struggled to adapt nor is it fair to our kids who, at a critical point in their lives, deserve to have a quality education. It’s time to end teacher’s union politics and put students’ education first.”