February 10, 1999 - On a bi-partisan vote, the House Education Policy Committee has approved legislation to repeal the controversial Profile of Learning. The bill scraps a ten-year-old, multi-million dollar plan for ensuring Minnesota high school graduates can apply the knowledge they've gained in the classroom. It also creates a new back-to-basics approach that lets local districts decide how to teach students.
February 11, 1999 - Christine Jax, comissioner of the Department of Children Families and Learning; and DFL Representative Gene Pelowski explain and discuss the "Profiles of Learning."
February 11, 1999 - University of Minnesota officials say they need state help to head off a funding crisis in medical education and to improve physician training. They say cuts in federal support and smaller profits from patient care are threatening the future of the Academic Health Center. The U asked for 37-million dollars to overhaul its curriculum and an annual 60-million dollar boost from a state endowment to fund medical education and research. Governor Ventura provided the money in his budget. But his plan hinges on putting the state's tobacco settlement money in the bank, a plan many legislators oppose.
February 19, 1999 - The Minneapolis NAACP has released a detailed proposal for settling its education adequacy lawsuit against the state. The NAACP plan would effectively eliminate school enrollment boundaries in the metropolitan area...and pressure Minneapolis schools to quickly raise test scores. State and school district officials are reserving comment on the plan.
February 19, 1999 - State legislators have filled four seats on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Meeting in joint session Thursday, members of the House and Senate selected two incumbents and two newcomers to the governing body of the U of M. Despite a three-month search, lawmakers from both parties are criticising a process that produced few women or minority candidates.
February 24, 1999 - The Saint Paul school board has officially named its finalist for superintendent. A public interview of Patricia Harvey, a former Chicago school administrator, is scheduled Monday night. Board members say they're ready to offer her the job.
March 1, 1999 - Voters in the Pipestone/Jasper school district must decide soon whether to build a new school or repair the old one. The state fire marshall has set a deadline for action, and calls the situation serious. This is a scenario many school districts are encountering as their buildings age and the cost to update and improve increases.
March 2, 1999 - A year-long search for a superintendent has ended in the Saint Paul school district, and school board members say it was worth the wait. The board voted unanimously Monday night to hire Patricia Harvey. The urban education consultant and former Chicago schools administrator will replace Curman Gaines, who stepped down last summer after seven years on the job.
March 3, 1999 - State education officials and University of Minnesota researchers say they can now show a clear connection between breakfast and learning. They say results of a three-year study will add weight to Governor Ventura's proposal to boost funding for school breakfast programs by six million dollars.
March 8, 1999 - The legislature will soon debate Governor Ventura's proposal to reduce class sizes in elementary schools. Ventura wants one teacher for every 17 students in kindergarten through third grade. He's convinced smaller classes will improve student achievement. Ventura holds up Centerville Elementary School to prove his point. But the success of one school's experiment might be tough for other schools to copy.