Mankato Family YMCA steps away as host for school choice expo

The Mankato Family YMCA says it has made the decision to no longer host a school choice expo.

Initially, the YMCA had agreed to host the Power to Choose: 2025 Education Expo, put on by the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank. The YMCA said they had done so with the understanding it was an opportunity to highlight the diverse educational options in the Mankato area.

However, a news release from Mankato Family YMCA Executive Director Andrew Burk said the organization had reversed its decision after learning more about the Center of the American Experiment’s “political affiliations.”

“As an organization committed to serving all, we saw this as a way to support families in exploring educational opportunities,” Burk wrote. “However, we have since learned more about the political affiliations and broader mission of the American Experiment. Had we been aware of this from the start, we would have made a different decision regarding hosting the event.”

According to the Center of the American Experiment’s website, the group is a Minnesota public policy organization that researches and produces papers on a number of topics, including the state’s economy, education, health care and state and local governance.

It also says it creates and advocates policies to make Minnesota a “freer, more prosperous and better-governed state.”

The expo will now instead be held on April 24 at the Country Inn & Suites Hotel and Conference Center at 1900 Premiere Drive in Mankato.