Investing in our Future
Carla believes our kids are our future and our area schools are some of the best in the state. Carla is a teacher and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and knows that education is the great equalizer. That is why she fought for and delivered historic education funding, innovations and reforms.
Carla focused on making child care more affordable and accessible. She increased funding for early learning scholarships, empowering more than 12,000 low income families with new opportunities and choices.
Sen. Nelson’s education budgets delivered significant and consistent year-over-year funding increases right to the classroom. She passed historic increases for special education and school readiness. Carla increased Reading Corp tutoring and dyslexia screening too. She is the architect of new flexible safe schools grants, sending millions to our local schools for security upgrades, school counselors, psychologists, nurses, and school resource officers.
Carla’s leadership on innovative public private partnerships delivered Cradle 2 Career, Bridges to Healthcare and P-Tech to our communities.
Reforms in teacher licensure help schools find and hire qualified teachers and the removal of LIFO (“last in, first out”) law, allows schools to consider teacher effectiveness, and not just seniority, when making tough layoff decisions.
Carla is a champion of higher education students and supported capping in-state tuition, expanding the Minnesota State Grant Program, and needed infrastructure and building projects at colleges and universities across the state such as Rochester Community College’s Memorial Hall renovation.
Carla has received numerous education awards.
