Lawmakers met with more than a dozen leaders from school districts around the state early Wednesday afternoon at the state capitol.

They were set to discuss new regulations impacting schools, but the talks also come at a time when districts are dealing with budget shortfalls.

Districts are about halfway through the school year and are working to create new policies regarding how and when their students use phones in school as part of a new law taking effect in March. This is part of a series of education bills signed by Gov. Walz – they include getting rid of book bans, requiring mental health education for students in Grades 4-12 and a pilot program in a dozen districts meant to address growing absentee and truancy issues.

Walz also approved $43 million in education spending, with a big portion going to strengthening literacy programs under the READ Act. The goal is to get every child reading at or above grade level, which has been a concern in the state.

“We know that only about 50% of our kids are reading at grade level in the state of Minnesota, that there’s huge disparities around literacy,” said Heather Edelson, a former state representative.