Education Minnesota cautions parents that new court ruling allows unlicensed pre-K teachers

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ST. PAUL, Minn. May 16, 2016 – Preparing children for kindergarten is too important to delegate to unlicensed educators, despite a new ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals which permits districts to abandon this widely used standard, said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota.

“Early childhood education is too important to leave to people without the proper qualifications,” Specht said. “This ruling would allow districts to hire unlicensed educators for lower salaries. Students rarely win in the long run when there’s a choice between money and quality.”

“We encourage parents interested in enrolling their children in pre-K programs to ask the question: Are the teachers licensed to teach pre-K? If not, why not?” Specht said. “The answers will reveal how much a district values its youngest learners.”

“We don’t think the Legislature intended to permit unlicensed educators to teach pre-K, but that’s how the Appeals Court interpreted a vague section of the law,” Specht said. “Education Minnesota will encourage the Legislature to clarify the language in the future.”

About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.