by Dave Colling

After receiving a tremendous response to our inquiry about what Minnesotans want to see in their next lieutenant governor, we have another question for you:

What's your education story?

Matt knows education is the foundation of our state's success. As many of you know, Matt grew up without a lot. He was able to build a successful life because of great schools and a supportive community.

Our schools are struggling. In just the past seven years, in fact, they've slipped in key measures from near the top in the country to middle of the pack. This is bad for us, our children and our future. 

The story isn't much better for our colleges and universities. Once a major driver of our economic success -- launching major Minnesota companies like Medtronic -- our colleges and universities have been defunded and made inaccessible to many in our state due to double-digit tuition increases year after year.

Matt wants to know.

- What are your experiences with education in Minnesota? Have you struggled to pay for college? Has a local school closed? Are your children's class sizes increasing?

- Do you have ideas about what we can do to make Minnesota education number-one again?

Send us your ideas and stories.