Imagine a state swimming in a $17.6 billion surplus, yet unable to spare a dime for the safety of 72,000 students in nonpublic schools. That’s the reality in Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz (D), where Catholic schools’ desperate pleas for security grants to protect against school shootings have been flatly denied. It’s a decision that raises eyebrows and questions about priorities.
According to Breitbart, Minnesota’s Catholic Conference, representing six dioceses, has twice in two years requested modest security funding from Walz, only to be turned away despite the state’s massive financial cushion in 2023.
Back in 2020, nonpublic schools—including Catholic, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Independent institutions—began advocating for inclusion in the Safe Schools Program, which funds emergency training, security upgrades, and mental health resources for public school districts. The program, however, remains a levy-only initiative, explicitly excluding nonpublic schools, charter schools, and intermediate districts. It’s a glaring gap that leaves thousands of students vulnerable.
Fast forward to 2022, and a bipartisan bill in the Minnesota House, supported by members of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party, aimed to expand Safe Schools funding to nonpublic schools at a rate of $44 per student. The measure stalled, and despite urgings from Minnesota’s bishops for a special session to pass it, Walz declined to act. A missed opportunity, to say the least, when student safety should trump political inertia.
By 2023, the Minnesota Catholic Conference ramped up its efforts, pointing to the tragic mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, as a grim reminder of the risks facing nonpublic institutions. They requested inclusion in Walz’s $50 million Building and Cyber Security Grant Program. Yet, once again, their appeal fell on deaf ears.
“Our schools are under attack,” the Conference wrote in a 2023 letter to Walz, referencing the Tennessee tragedy. Well, no argument there—when a shooter can strike anywhere, why leave any child unprotected? It’s a question that deserves an answer, not a bureaucratic shrug.
The Conference also noted, “There are roughly 72,000 students enrolled in nonpublic schools in our state.” That’s a small army of kids—many from families already stretched thin—who are being denied the same safety measures afforded to public school students. It’s hard to see this as anything but a double standard.
Adding salt to the wound, public schools have received similar security grants while nonpublic schools are left to fend for themselves. If equality in education means anything, shouldn’t it start with keeping every child safe, regardless of where they learn?
The Conference didn’t mince words, stating, “The exclusion of one sector of schools… is a discriminatory act against our students.” That’s a heavy charge, and it’s tough to disagree when the state’s coffers are overflowing with a $17.6 billion surplus. Surely, a fraction of that could secure classroom doors instead of funding other, less urgent initiatives.
Speaking of priorities, in 2023, Walz directed taxpayer dollars to establish a “trans refuge” for those seeking gender-affirming care—a move that, while significant to some, feels tone-deaf when juxtaposed against unmet security needs for vulnerable students. It’s not about denying anyone’s rights; it’s about asking why one cause gets the green light while another, tied directly to life and death, gets ignored.
History adds context to the urgency: a suspect in a shooting rampage at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, which claimed two lives and wounded 14 others, was identified as transgender. This isn’t about pointing fingers but underscoring the real threats facing these schools—threats that demand action over ideology.
Since 2020, the push for Safe Schools Program inclusion has been relentless, with the Conference lamenting, “This program currently does not cover nonpublic schools.” It’s a policy wall that seems more about politics than principle, especially when bipartisan support for change already exists.
Walz’s refusal to budge, even with a stalled 2022 bill that had cross-party backing, suggests a troubling blind spot. When Minnesota’s bishops called for a special session to address this inequity, the silence from the governor’s office spoke volumes. Student safety shouldn’t be a partisan football to kick around.
So, here we are: a state flush with cash, a governor prioritizing progressive policies, and 72,000 nonpublic school students left without the security funding their public counterparts enjoy. It’s not just a policy failure; it’s a moral one, when the means to protect are clearly within reach. One can only hope the next budget cycle brings a change of heart—or at least a change of focus.
