Democrat Rob Kupec voted Against Funding Hawley Public Schools

Schools across Minnesota suffered under expensive unfunded mandates imposed by St. Paul Liberals with Moorhead-area Senator Rob Kupec casting the deciding vote. Back home in Northwest Minnesota, local officials like Austin Peterson had to clean up the mess.

As a member of the Hawley School Board, Austin Peterson has been a strong advocate for the students, teachers, and families of the district. Peterson is hyper focused on the basics of great schooling. High-quality curriculum, school safety, and keeping great teachers. He has worked to secure the funding Hawley schools need while defending the programs and staff that make a meaningful difference in students’ lives.

Unfortunately, in St. Paul, Hawley’s Democrat state senator Rob Kupec had no desire to help. Throughout his entire term, he has gone along with everything party bosses asked him to do, voting for controversial social justice curriculum, requiring feminine hygiene products in boy’s bathrooms, and more unfunded mandates that do nothing to increase the quality of public schools.

In fact, he routinely voted against additional funding that would benefit rural school districts like Hawley in favor of the education agenda of metro Democrats.

• Rob Kupec voted against disparity aid to public schools that would have provided around $630,000 in additional funds to Hawley Public Schools.

• Rob Kupec voted against transportation sparsity aid to help rural schools pay for getting kids to school in Greater Minnesota.

• Rob Kupec voted against reinstating the rule of 90, a pension rule that would allow teachers to retire earlier rather than working into their late 60’s and 70’s, keeping quality teachers in the classroom instead of looking for new jobs.

• Rob Kupec voted against relief to unfunded state mandates by allowing local school boards to opt out and choose how to spend their own money in the best interest of their community.

• Rob Kupec voted against $200 million to increase Minnesota’s low literacy rates in schools.

• Rob Kupec voted against nearly $500 million in school safety funding.

Because of Rob Kupec standing with metro Democrats instead of his own community, schools in rural areas continue to go underfunded, with programs being canceled, teachers leaving, and communities paying the price of inaction with increasing property taxes.

Hawley deserves a Senator that advocates for local needs, not a politician that votes for whatever metro liberals want.