Gov. Walz losing budget commissioner to University of Minnesota amid state's worst budget crisis in a decade
Minnesota Budget Commissioner Myron Frans is leaving his post for a job with the University of Minnesota. (Minnesota Management and Budget / FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - In the midst of the state's worst budget crisis in a decade, Minnesota budget commissioner Myron Frans is leaving for a job at the University of Minnesota.
The U of M announced Wednesday Frans was appointed as the university’s senior vice president of finance and operations, pending approval by the Board of Regents.
Immediately after the U of M’s announcement, Gov. Tim Walz announced he had named Jim Schowalter as Frans’ replacement. Schowalter was the state’s budget commissioner under former Gov. Mark Dayton during the state's last budget crisis in the early 2010s.
Minnesota is currently facing a projected budget deficit of $2.4 billion for the current biennium, fiscal year 2020-21, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.