Kruse, O’Driscoll introduce school trust overhaul

A bipartisan group of state legislators announced legislation that would remove the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from its role in managing school trust lands.

The move reflects simmering disappointment with the amount of money the agency is generating from timber and mining operations on the lands.

Currently the DNR makes money for schools from timber and mining on the trust lands, which were given to the state by the federal government at the time of statehood and are located mostly in northern Minnesota.

Some lawmakers charge that DNR applies conservation practices that limit the amount of money generated for schools. Sen. Benjamin Kruse, R-Brooklyn Park, and Rep. Tim O’Driscoll, R-Sartell, have introduced legislation that would put the school lands under a commission of legislators and private citizens.

“School trust lands were originally designed to yield a profit for our schools and that is just not happening,” Kruse said.

O’Driscoll said the DNR would still have an advisory role in forest management.

“The management of it would go to the committee but we would still work with the DNR on this because they have some expertise obviously in those types of assets,” O’Driscoll said.

The DNR last year worked to prepare an “operational order” to address some of lawmakers’ concerns. DNR officials have also warned against duplication of services because many of the school trust lands are surrounded by DNR-managed state land.