Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) reportedly denied Catholic schools’ request for a small security budget, despite having a $17 billion surplus and giving similar grants to public schools.
The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public voice for the state’s six dioceses, asked Walz twice in two years for a small security grant to protect against school shootings, according to a report by National Catholic Register.
“There are approximately 72,000 students enrolled in Independent, Catholic, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim nonpublic schools in our state,” the 2023 letter from the Minnesota Catholic Conference to Walz read.
“The latest school shooting at a nonpublic Christian school in Tennessee sadly confirms what we already know — our schools are under attack,” the letter continued, referring to the March 2023 mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, carried out by 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender.
The Minnesota Catholic Conference, however, was denied, but similar security grants were reportedly handed out to public schools.
In 2023, while asking for assistance, the Minnesota Catholic Conference went on to ask to be included in Walz’s “budget recommendation of $50 million to establish the Building and Cyber Security Grant Program,” noting “the exclusion of one sector of schools — as you know, nonpublic schools serve many students and families in need of services and resources — is a discriminatory act against our students.”
“Since 2020, nonpublic schools have been advocating to be part of the Safe Schools Program that provides funding to school districts for emergency response training, security upgrades, mental health services, and security resources,” the letter continued.
“The legislation supported by our collective organizations provides state aid to school districts, intermediate school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools for this program. Unfortunately, this program currently does not cover nonpublic schools, charter schools and intermediate school districts and it is a levy-only program for school districts,” Minnesota Catholic Conference added.
Moreover, the request arrived when Minnesota was running a $17.6 billion budget surplus in 2023, National Catholic Register noted.
“In 2022, after a bill to expand the funding to non-public schools stalled, Minnesota’s bishops urged Walz to call a special session and pass an expansion to Safe Schools,” the outlet reported. “The measure would have provided $44 per student for security costs, regardless of their school’s affiliation.”
“The House version of the bill was supported by multiple members of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesota affiliate of the national Democratic Party, indicating bipartisan support. However, Walz did not call a special session to pass the legislation,” National Catholic Register added.
Walz, meanwhile, used state taxpayer dollars in 2023 to create a “trans refuge” to “protect those seeking gender-affirming care,” OutFront Minnesota reported that year.
The suspect accused of going on a shooting rampage at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that left two dead and 14 wounded was transgender.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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