May 16—ROCHESTER — In the waning hours of the legislative session, Rochester Public Schools got a way-early Christmas gift.
Negotiators for a joint House-Senate conference committee agreed to restore funding for a program that trains Rochester students to become licensed practical nurses and information technologists while earning a high school diploma and a two-year college degree.
Uncertainty over funding in St. Paul had put the program called P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) at risk.
Funding for the program was slashed last year under a legislative provision little noticed at the time that authorized a statewide competitive grant process that included but was not limited to Rochester.
At the time, Rochester was the only district in the state to receive state funding for P-TECH. To keep the program running this year, Rochester officials relied on unspent funds from the pandemic.
Under the recent agreement, the RPS program will receive $971,000 for fiscal year 2025 — its start-up amount — followed by appropriations of $500,000 in 2026 and $250,000 in 2027.
Rochester Superintendent Kent Pekel said he was “thrilled” with the outcome.
“Our legislators from Rochester came together on a bipartisan basis to support this innovative program that’s preparing students for success in two fields critical to Rochester’s future: nursing and information technology,” he said.
Its distinction as the only P-TECH program to receive state funding was a reflection of GOP Sen. Carla Nelson’s influence as chair of a K-12 committee at the time. Nelson had wanted to fund more P-TECHs across the state but didn’t have the money.
Nelson, who no longer serves on the K-12 committee, championed maintaining funding for Rochester P-TECH at its original level, even as the program was expanded to other districts. Nelson applauded the committee’s decision.
“As the original author of the legislation that funded Minnesota P-TECH, I could not stand by while recent versions of P-TECH legislation were poised to completely undermine the program’s foundation,” Nelson said in a statement. “P-TECH has been and must remain a program that transcends the partisan rancor.”
Nelson had been critical of a proposal by Sen. Liz Boldon that would have reduced funding for P-TECH from its original $791,000 to $500,000 in 2025, to $250,000 in 2026 and to $50,000 in 2027. The idea, a Boldon aide said last week, was to ensure a gradual “step-down” in funding for RPS rather than a cliff-like plunge. Nelson, a Republican, and Boldon, a DFLer, both represent districts in Rochester.
P-TECH is a partnership program that brings together RPS, Rochester Community Technical College, IBM and Mayo Clinic. Officials estimated the program will serve 165 students next fall.
The legislation means P-TECH in 2026 will be scaled up in other school districts with the help of start-up and mentorship grants starting in 2026. Rochester will also be eligible to apply for an additional $50,000 for its program.
“It will be in the mix, but it’ll be delayed a couple of years,” said Jack Dudley, a Boldon legislative aide, about the competitive grant process.
Boldon said she was proud to have secured $1.5 million for the Rochester P-TECH program.
“Our local P-TECH program has been an outstanding model for how we can prepare our young Minnesotans for careers in STEM,” Boldon said.
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