August 30, 2000 -
September 1, 2000 - State education officials say most Minnesota school districts are not easing up on their implementation of the Profile of Learning. The controversial system of graduation standards survived this year's legislative session when lawmakers gave schools the option to temporaily reduce the number of student requirements. In a report released today (Friday) by the Department of Children, Families and Learning, 53-percent of the the districts will stay right where they would have been without any choice. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
September 5, 2000 - After a nationwide search Saint Cloud State University has a new president, Roy Saigo. A career educator, Saigo is already a fixture on campus and has taken some unusual steps getting to know his new surroundings.
September 5, 2000 - Minneapolis school district officials began the new school year reminding students they need to show up for classes every day. The state's largest school district is phasing in a tough new attendance policy this year that will eventually require students to show up 95-percent of the time. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
September 6, 2000 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on the opening of more than a dozen new charter schools in Minnesota, bringing the state's total to 64. This year's batch of schools includes some that are targeting specific racial and ethnic groups -- an approach that worries some education leaders.
September 8, 2000 - An estimated seven million dollars has already been spent on ads in Minnesota's D-F-L Senate primary race, and the candidates are increasing their presence in the final days of the campaign. The three big spenders - Mike Ciresi, Mark Dayton and Rebecca Yanisch - are running new television spots touting their various endorsements, but the ads of all three contain some misleading elements, according to an ad analyst. In the latest in our series of Ad Watches, Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
September 11, 2000 - Legislators and school district leaders are reacting cautiously to Governor Ventura's latest tax proposal. Ventura wants the state to take on a bigger share of public school funding, at the same time reducing the burden now placed on local property taxpayers. But the plan is raising questions about the source of the state funding and the potential loss of local control of schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
September 11, 2000 - Governor Ventura wants to change Minnesota's tax system dramatically so the state would pay all costs of basic education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The state now pays 70 percent of those costs and the school districts cover the rest through local property taxes. Ventura says his proposal is intended to simplify the tax system. Joining us now with his reaction to the proposal is Minnesota Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum.
September 11, 2000 - {For Mon. 9/11 M.E.} A group of national experts hired to review the state's Profile of Learning graduation standards will soon release its findings. The nonprofit organization Achieve Incorporated has been studying Minnesota's standards for several months and comparing them to other states. The report could lead to further changes to Minnesota's controversial show-what-you-know system in the next legislative session. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
September 13, 2000 - A New Ulm school board candidate says his conviction for a sex offense sixteen years ago should not prevent him from running for office. Small business owner Ben Thompson is one of twelve candidates for four school board positions in New Ulm. A recent Minnesota law bans convicted sex offenders from running for school board. The law was written by a New Ulm legislator after Thompson ran and lost in a 1998 school board race. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports. {Ben Thompson says he's a responsible citizen of New Ulm concerned about the state of his local school district. The 55-year-old proprietor of a lawn care and snow removal business says he served his time for two counts of sexual abuse and the state has returned his right to vote and hold public office.