MPR presents a series of reports "Reading, Writing and Revenue," which looks at Minneosta schools' funding crunch. MPR’s Tim Pugmire looks at the discussion on potential long-term financial solutions for Minnesota school districts.

School district officials throughout Minnesota say a funding crisis is forcing them to redefine public school education. They've cut services, increased fees and laid off teachers to fix their budgets. While some educators push for more creative uses of school resources, others are pushing for a whole new system.

This is the fifth of a five-part series.

Click links below for other parts of series:

part 1: https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2002/06/03/reading-writing-and-revenue-whats-the-problem-an-overview-of-school-funding-crisis

part 2: https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2002/06/04/reading-writing-and-revenue-district-profile-minneapolis

part 3: https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2002/06/05/reading-writing-and-revenue-how-osseo-is-balancing-its-books

part 4: https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2002/06/06/reading-writing-and-revenue-bemidji-school-district-woes

Awarded:

2002 NBNA Eric Sevareid Award, Award of Merit in Documentary/Special - Large Market Radio category

2002 EWA National Award for Education Reporting, second place in Radio category