Ron Kresha

In 2015, Kresha supported bipartisan legislation to expand early learning scholarships for disadvantaged children, and a bill to target preschool funding to low-income families.[7][8][9] He opposed legislation that would create a Department of Early Childhood.[10] He has called for focusing on improving math and literacy scores before legislators "throw money" at the public school system, and called DFL funding proposals "unrealistic".[11][12]

Kresha has largely opposed Governor Tim Walz's education proposals, calling them "mandates" and saying they would "indoctrinate students with messages that focus on our nation's flaws".[13][14][15] He also criticized the Walz administration's handling of grant oversight after the Feeding our Future investigation uncovered one of the largest federal fraud cases in state history.[16] He opposed language requiring comprehensive sex education in elementary and secondary schools.[17]

Kresha has co-authored bills that seek to change the state constitution's language guaranteeing all children the fundamental right to a quality public education, and criticized Education Minnesota, the state's largest teacher's union, for its opposition to the proposal.[18][19][20]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kresha sponsored legislation to allow local school leaders to determine their own school reopening plans, arguing against a "one-size-fits-all" approach.[21][22][23][24] He also advocated for allowing districts to hold in-person graduation ceremonies.[25][26]

Kresha is a supporter of the school choice movement, and authored legislation to expand school choice and offer tax credits and scholarships to families whose students opt out of public schools.[27][28] He has argued that more opportunities for private schools would help close the state's education achievement gap.[29][30]

Kresha was a member of Governor Mark Dayton's Task Force on the Protection of Children, and authored the group's 11-point plan to reform the state's child protection laws.[31][32][33] The legislation included a provision to mandate child protection reports be sent to law enforcement, and would rank child safety above keeping families intact.[34] The bill unanimously passed the Minnesota House in 2015.[35] He has called for better training of front-line child protection workers.[36][37]

Kresha has co-sponsored legislation to provide broadband subsidies to rural communities, saying the private market alone would not provide full broadband coverage.[38][39][40] He authored a bill to fund an opioid prevention pilot project in his district.[41] Kresha abstained from a vote to declare racism a public health crisis in the state, saying it was "forcing an opinion based on words".[42]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kresha criticized Walz's emergency orders and Attorney General Keith Ellison for taking legal action against business owners who opened bars in defiance of the orders.[43][44]

Kresha authored a law that prohibits government contracts from being issued to vendors who boycott Israel.[45][46] In 2015, he visited Turkey as part of a bipartisan delegation sponsored by the Niagara Foundation, a nonprofit organization with ties to Fethullah Gulen.[47]