October 10, 2001 - Last spring, the Winona Area Public School District threatened to shut down Ridgeway Elementary, the smallest and most remote school in the district, because of low enrollment. In response, the community of Ridgeway and local educators worked together to revive the school by applying for--and then receiving--charter status. Mainstreet Reporter Rob Schmitz reports on how making the transition to charter kept a small school alive. { "We really don't know what self-directed means, do we? no."
October 10, 2001 - Al-Amal School is a private school located across the street from Totino Grace opened in 1994. Al-Amal allows for religion practices within the school day.
October 12, 2001 - The University of Minnesota is stepping up its security precautions to deal with the threat of terrorist attacks. The increased concern has touched animal research, sporting events, and energy faciliites on university campuses. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
October 16, 2001 - In most cases, terms like "free agent," "signing bonus," and "salary cap" would typically refer to professional athletes. But this fall they could be just as valid when talking about the Marshall school district -- or a few others around the state competing to find new ways to pay their teachers. Among hundreds of millions of education dollars, the legislature set aside eight million for a few districts willing to make bold experiments in teacher compensation: Experiments that may stand traditional notions of collective bargaining on their head - and could tie teacher pay to student performance. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich visited Marshall, where the district and its teachers have already been toying with some new ideas for two years.
October 17, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports three professors and a student are filing a lawsuit in federal court against St. Cloud State University and the entire MnSCU system, alleging that the school has done too little to deal with antisemitism on campus. St. Cloud State has been studying the problem for more than a year, but those suing the school say the time for studying is over.
October 24, 2001 - Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Americans have expressed their patriotism in different ways. One of those is a move in some states -- including New York, Wisconsin, and now Minnesota, to require elementary school children to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" at school. St. Paul School Board Member Tom Conlon wants to make the Pledge mandatory in all of the district's 70 schools. Last night Helms reports.
October 26, 2001 - Governor Jesse Ventura is urging taxpayers to pay special attention to the record number of school levy referenda on the ballot this November. The governor says some school districts are using deceptive tactics to disguise the size of proposed tax increases. He says the levies threaten to erode property tax relief passed during the last legislative session. But school officials say the levies are a response to inadequate funding during that same session. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
October 30, 2001 - The University of Minnesota withdrew from the state workers insurance plan and now offers four different insurance plans.
November 2, 2001 - In Duluth, more than three hundred volunteers are visiting an inner-city elementary school every week to read with the students. There's a reading partner for every child in the school. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports the effort grew out of the belief a child has a better chance at success in life with direct adult involvement. {
November 2, 2001 - Winona schools may be forced to make some of the most severe cuts in the state if the voters turn down a school referendum. The measure asks for more than 3 million dollars a year, for the next five years. Should the referendum fail extracurricular activities, sports, and all-day every-day kindergarten will vanish next year. In the past the district has had difficult time securing the public's financial support. This time the stakes appear to be higher. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this Mainstreet report.