Rilyn Eischens
Minnesota
uffda! | she/her | data viz specialist @MNOlmstead | formerly @mnreformer | alumna @mndailynews @djnf
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Rilyn Eischens
Walz signs bill funneling $300 million from settlement into state opiate response fund
Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday signed a bill funneling $300 million from a multi-state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors into the state’s opioid response fund. Through the fund, the settlement money will be used for opioid addiction and overdose education, prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the state.
Senate GOP moves forward with tax credit, insurance product family leave proposals
The Minnesota Senate passed on Tuesday a bill that the GOP majority describes as a “free-market solution” to ensuring more Minnesotans have access to paid family leave. The bill, introduced by Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, would allow insurance companies to offer paid family leave benefits product in Minnesota, which state law currently prohibits. The Senate is expected to approve another bill Wednesday to create a tax credit for small businesses that offer paid leave.
Education associations urge lawmakers to address special education funding shortfalls
Nine statewide education associations on Monday called for lawmakers to cover schools’ special education funding shortfalls with a portion of the state’s projected $9.25 billion budget surplus. Minnesota school districts don’t receive enough state or federal funds to cover the costs of providing mandatory services for students with disabilities, resulting in a funding gap that districts have to fill with other state or local money.
Education associations urge lawmakers to address special education funding shortfalls
▪ You must give Minnesota Reformer credit, including https://minnesotareformer.com and author. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Minnesota Reformer. ▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication. ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credited to Minnesota Reformer with the stories with which they originally appeared.
House approves proposal making hourly school workers eligible for unemployment benefits
by Rilyn Eischens, Minnesota Reformer May 5, 2022 The Minnesota House on Wednesday approved a proposal to make hourly school workers eligible for unemployment benefits. The provision — included in the majority DFL House’s jobs bill — would allow bus drivers, cafeteria staff and paraprofessionals to apply for unemployment benefits during summer break.
House approves proposal making hourly school workers eligible for unemployment benefits
The Minnesota House on Wednesday approved a proposal to make hourly school workers eligible for unemployment benefits. The provision — included in the majority DFL House’s jobs bill — would allow bus drivers, cafeteria staff and paraprofessionals to apply for unemployment benefits during summer break.
Minnesota is one of 24 states unlikely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, report says
▪ You must give Minnesota Reformer credit, including https://minnesotareformer.com and author. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Minnesota Reformer. ▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication. ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credited to Minnesota Reformer with the stories with which they originally appeared.
Minnesota is one of 24 states unlikely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, report says
Minnesota is one of 24 states unlikely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to an analysis by the think tank Guttmacher Institute. That could make Minnesota an island in the upper Midwest. Three neighboring states have laws on the books to automatically make most abortions illegal if federal protection for abortion access is overruled, and another is likely to at least attempt to implement restrictions, according to Guttmacher Institute.
How Minnesota is - and isn't - teaching kids to read - Minnesota Reformer
When Rachel Berger’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia in kindergarten, she thought she found the “golden key” to getting him the right support in school. Instead, the school district said they didn’t have any services for her son. Berger, who is also dyslexic, was furious. Over the next 10 years, Berger launched Decoding Dyslexia MN and successfully advocated for a slate of laws to improve services and outcomes for children with dyslexia, whose brains process language differently.
How Minnesota is — and isn’t — teaching kids to read | News From The States
When Rachel Berger’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia in kindergarten, she thought she found the “golden key” to getting him the right support in school. Instead, the school district said they didn’t have any services for her son. Berger, who is also dyslexic, was furious. Over the next 10 years, Berger launched Decoding Dyslexia MN and successfully advocated for a slate of laws to improve services and outcomes for children with dyslexia, whose brains process language differently.
Minnesota Republicans falsely claim schools are providing litter boxes for students identifying as cats
Minnesota Republicans repeated debunked tales about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats during debate over the House education budget bill Wednesday. Reps. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, shared the fictional stories in support of Drazkowski’s proposal to give lawmakers control over a statewide student survey.
Republicans falsely claim schools are providing litter boxes for students identifying as cats
by Rilyn Eischens, Minnesota Reformer April 28, 2022 Minnesota Republicans repeated debunked tales about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats during debate over the House education budget bill Wednesday. Reps. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, shared the fictional stories in support of Drazkowski’s proposal to give lawmakers control over a statewide student survey.
Republicans falsely claim schools are providing litter boxes for students identifying as cats
Minnesota Republicans repeated debunked tales about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats during debate over the House education budget bill Wednesday. Reps. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, shared the fictional stories in support of Drazkowski’s proposal to give lawmakers control over a statewide student survey.
Marijuana legalization party calls for ballot access law reform
A marijuana legalization party is calling for changes to Minnesota’s candidate ballot access law ahead of the 2022 election, a move they say would prevent deceitful or frivolous campaigns appearing on ballots. The Grassroots Legalize Cannabis Party wants all candidates for state office to be required to gather voter signatures in order to get their names on the ballot, which major party candidates don’t have to do.
Candidate who delivered speech while in labor may run in primary election
A Minnesota state Senate candidate who made national headlines for attending a Democratic convention while in active labor has not decided whether she will suspend her campaign or run in the primary election, according to her campaign manager. Erin Maye Quade, a former state representative, withdrew from the party’s endorsement process midday Saturday — roughly 10 hours after she went into labor — and left for the hospital.
Candidate who delivered speech while in labor may run in primary election
A Minnesota state Senate candidate who made national headlines for attending a Democratic convention while in active labor has not decided whether she will suspend her campaign or run in the primary election, according to her campaign manager. Erin Maye Quade, a former state representative, withdrew from the party’s endorsement process midday Saturday — roughly 10 hours after she went into labor — and left for the hospital.
'We can do that': Walz calls for compromise, action on big issues during State of the State Original
Facing one of the most challenging periods of his political career, Gov. Tim Walz returned to his political roots during his State of the State address Sunday, pitching a pragmatic, optimistic call for compromise to the center of the Minnesota electorate.
Minnesota's new campaign finance data, in four charts
Campaign finance data released Friday show Gov. Tim Walz far outraising Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, with more than $1 million in contributions so far this year. The field of GOP candidates vying for the party’s nomination is crowded. The candidates include former state Sen. Dr. Scott Jensen, Sen. Michelle Benson of Ham Lake, dermatologist Dr. Neil Shah, Sen.
Minnesota’s new campaign finance data, in four charts
Campaign finance data released Friday show Gov. Tim Walz far outraising Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, with more than $1 million in contributions so far this year. The field of GOP candidates vying for the party’s nomination is crowded. The candidates include former state Sen. Dr. Scott Jensen, Sen. Michelle Benson of Ham Lake, dermatologist Dr. Neil Shah, Sen.
Scott Jensen: COVID death data ‘skewed’ by people who would have died soon anyway
Dr. Scott Jensen’s latest piece of evidence for his erroneous claims that COVID-19 death counts have been inflated: Many people who died of COVID-19 would have died in two or three years anyway. Jensen — a practicing family physician, former state senator from Chaska and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner — argued during a Facebook livestream Monday that Minnesota’s COVID-19 death data is “skewed,” supporting his view that stay-at-home orders early in the pandemic were unnecessary.
Scott Jensen: COVID death data 'skewed' by people who would have died soon anyway
▪ You must give Minnesota Reformer credit, including https://minnesotareformer.com and author. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Minnesota Reformer. ▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication. ▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credited to Minnesota Reformer with the stories with which they originally appeared.
How Minnesota's electric car progress compares to the U.S., in three charts
Minnesota drivers have been slow to adopt electric cars, but a potential new Tesla sales center and the state’s forthcoming clean car rule could accelerate the shift. Electric cars accounted for fewer than 0.4% of registered vehicles in Minnesota last year, according to the state Department of Transportation.
How Minnesota’s electric car progress compares to the U.S., in three charts
Minnesota drivers have been slow to adopt electric cars, but a potential new Tesla sales center and the state’s forthcoming clean car rule could accelerate the shift. Electric cars accounted for fewer than 0.4% of registered vehicles in Minnesota last year, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Lawmakers hold Black maternal health roundtable
Brittany Wright told her doctors over and over during her first 20 hours of labor that something felt wrong. They assured Wright that she was fine, telling her that she just didn’t know what labor felt like as a first-time mom. Then, in hour 20, Wright started convulsing. Wright had developed a fever during labor — a condition called intrapartum fever, which can be fatal for mother and baby. Her baby was born with a fever as well.
Lawmakers hold Black maternal health roundtable
Brittany Wright told her doctors over and over during her first 20 hours of labor that something felt wrong. They assured Wright that she was fine, telling her that she just didn’t know what labor felt like as a first-time mom. Then, in hour 20, Wright started convulsing. Wright had developed a fever during labor — a condition called intrapartum fever, which can be fatal for mother and baby. Her baby was born with a fever as well.
11 educators named Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists
Eleven educators from across Minnesota were named finalists for the state’s Teacher of the Year award Monday. The award is given each year by Education Minnesota, the statewide teachers union. This year’s finalists were selected from a group of 77 nominees. Teachers with at least five years of experience who work at public or private pre-K-12th grade schools, adult education programs or family education programs can be nominated for the title.
11 educators named Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists
Apr 11, 2022 | 2:01 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens Eleven educators from across Minnesota were named finalists for the state’s Teacher of the Year award Monday. The award is given each year by Education Minnesota, the statewide teachers union. This year’s finalists were selected from a group of 77 nominees. Teachers with at least five years of experience who work at public or private pre-K-12th grade schools, adult education programs or family education programs can be nominated for the title.
‘Page Amendment’ Education Bill Likely Dead for the Third Year
Sign up here for The 74’s daily newsletter. Donate here to support The 74's independent journalism. A controversial proposal to amend the education clause of Minnesota’s Constitution is likely dead for the third consecutive year after an influential lawmaker said she won’t hold a hearing on it.
Early education budget with $850 million in new spending clears House committee
A proposal to pour $850 million over four years into Minnesota’s struggling child care industry cleared a House committee Thursday. The House early education committee approved a budget bill that seeks to make child care more accessible by boosting aid to families and providers, funded by the state’s projected $9.3 billion budget surplus. The proposal would increase early education spending by about 25% through fiscal year 2025.
Early education budget with $850 million in new spending clears House committee
A proposal to pour $850 million over four years into Minnesota’s struggling child care industry cleared a House committee Thursday. The House early education committee approved a budget bill that seeks to make child care more accessible by boosting aid to families and providers, funded by the state’s projected $9.3 billion budget surplus. The proposal would increase early education spending by about 25% through fiscal year 2025.
‘Page Amendment’ education bill likely dead for the third year
Apr 05, 2022 | 5:35 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens A controversial proposal to amend the education clause of Minnesota’s Constitution is likely dead for the third consecutive year after an influential lawmaker said she won’t hold a hearing on it. The “Page Amendment” — championed by former state Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari — won’t receive a hearing in the House Education Policy Committee this session, Rep.
'Page Amendment' education bill likely dead for the third year
A controversial proposal to amend the education clause of Minnesota’s Constitution is likely dead for the third consecutive year after an influential lawmaker said she won’t hold a hearing on it. The “Page Amendment” — championed by former state Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari — won’t receive a hearing in the House Education Policy Committee this session, Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, told reporters Monday.
House DFL proposes $3 billion education funding increase over 3 years
Minnesota House Democrats are proposing a $3.3 billion increase to state education funding over the next three years. The sprawling package would use money from the state’s projected $9.3 billion budget surplus to boost spending on mental health, English language instruction and special education services, House DFL leaders announced Monday.
House DFL proposes $3 billion education funding increase over 3 years
Minnesota House Democrats are proposing a $3.3 billion increase to state education funding over the next three years. The sprawling package would use money from the state’s projected $9.3 billion budget surplus to boost spending on mental health, English language instruction and special education services, House DFL leaders announced Monday.
Public safety officials push for early ed investments to reduce crime
Public safety officials urged lawmakers on Friday to boost funding for early childhood and family programs as a crime reduction strategy. In a joint hearing of the state House early childhood education and criminal justice reform committees, researchers and law enforcement said spending more on child care and parent support programs would benefit the state for decades.
Report: Law enforcement coordination during unrest inefficient, unclear
Law enforcement agencies responding to unrest after the police murder of George Floyd didn’t coordinate efforts fast enough, establish clear structure or follow consistent accountability and engagement standards, according to an external review of the state’s response published Thursday.
Minneapolis' new teachers of color layoff protections: Three things to know
by Rilyn Eischens, Minnesota Reformer March 31, 2022 Minneapolis Public Schools is stepping into nearly uncharted territory — and potentially thorny legal ground — with its new policy aimed at protecting teachers of color from potential layoffs. The new teachers contract, reached last week after a 14-day strike, creates exemptions to seniority-based job cuts, a feat that few other districts in the state have managed.
Minneapolis’ new teachers of color layoff protections: Three things to know
Minneapolis Public Schools is stepping into nearly uncharted territory — and potentially thorny legal ground — with its new policy aimed at protecting teachers of color from potential layoffs. The new teachers contract, reached last week after a 14-day strike, creates exemptions to seniority-based job cuts, a feat that few other districts in the state have managed.
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe receives federal solar energy funds
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe received more than $729,000 in federal funding for a solar energy project, the United States Department of Energy announced Monday. The Department of Energy is distributing $9 million to 13 tribes, including Leech Lake, for projects aimed at expanding access to sustainable energy. The Leech Lake Band will use the money to install solar power in nine tribal buildings, projected to save $2.5 million in energy costs over the system’s life, according to the department.
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe receives federal solar energy funds
Mar 22, 2022 | 3:18 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe received more than $729,000 in federal funding for a solar energy project, the United States Department of Energy announced Monday. The Department of Energy is distributing $9 million to 13 tribes, including Leech Lake, for projects aimed at expanding access to sustainable energy.
Gas prices are high, but they've been higher: five charts
Minnesotans’ wallets have been hit with a double-whammy this spring as both gas prices and inflation climb. The surging gas costs are paining consumers and making headlines here and across the country — but just how bad is it? Once adjusted for inflation, gas prices are not out of the historical norm. Here’s more on Minnesota’s gas prices, in five charts.
95% of Minneapolis teachers participating in strike, district data shows
About 150 teachers and 100 education support professionals reported to work during the first week of the Minneapolis Public Schools strike, according to the school district. The teachers and staff crossing the picket line represent a small fraction of Minneapolis Public Schools’ workforce: fewer than 5% of the district’s 3,200 teachers and 8% of support professionals.
95% of Minneapolis teachers participating in strike, district data shows
Mar 16, 2022 | 1:43 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens About 150 teachers and 100 education support professionals reported to work during the first week of the Minneapolis Public Schools strike, according to the school district. The teachers and staff crossing the picket line represent a small fraction of Minneapolis Public Schools’ workforce: fewer than 5% of the district’s 3,200 teachers and 8% of support professionals.
Rep. Ilhan Omar rallies in support of Minneapolis teachers during strike
Mar 14, 2022 | 9:53 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens Minneapolis Public Schools agreed to include class size caps in teacher contracts and adjust the pay structure for education support professionals, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers leadership announced Monday. The offers are the district’s closest yet to the union’s demands — but as the strike stretches into a fifth day, the two parties still aren’t seeing eye to eye on those proposals or other central issues, like teacher salaries.
Minneapolis teachers union, district remain millions apart on pay proposals Original
Teacher pay proposals from the Minneapolis Public Schools and the teachers union remain millions of dollars apart as the teachers’ strike stretches into its third day, according to summaries published by the district Wednesday. The update is the public’s first look at the proposals on the bargaining table since December, when the district and union entered mediation — which takes place behind closed doors.
Minneapolis teachers strike while the labor movement is hot
Jessica Mueller was in tears after she heard Monday night that Minneapolis teachers were officially going to strike the following day. Mueller, a special education teacher at Field Elementary, was distraught about being away from the classroom when her students are working so hard to master foundational skills, like reading. Holding a picket sign outside the Minneapolis Public Schools district office Tuesday afternoon, Mueller teared up again as she said she’d rather be with her students.
Minneapolis teachers strike while the labor movement is hot
Jessica Mueller was in tears after she heard Monday night that Minneapolis teachers were officially going to strike the following day. Mueller, a special education teacher at Field Elementary, was distraught about being away from the classroom when her students are working so hard to master foundational skills, like reading. Holding a picket sign outside the Minneapolis Public Schools district office Tuesday afternoon, Mueller teared up again as she said she’d rather be with her students.
Minneapolis teachers strike for first time in 50 years
Minneapolis Public Schools teachers and staff went on strike Tuesday for the first time in more than 50 years.
Most Twin Cities school districts facing budget shortfalls, survey says
Mar 07, 2022 | 5:29 pm ET By Rilyn Eischens Thirty-five school districts in the Twin Cities metro expect budget shortfalls in the 2022-23 school year, according to a survey released Monday by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. The projected deficits range from $500,000 in the Centennial and Columbia Heights school districts, to tens of millions in the state’s largest districts.
Most Twin Cities school districts facing budget shortfalls, survey says
Thirty-five school districts in the Twin Cities metro expect budget shortfalls in the 2022-23 school year, according to a survey released Monday by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. The projected deficits range from $500,000 in the Centennial and Columbia Heights school districts, to tens of millions in the state’s largest districts.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rilyn
Contact Rilyn, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack