Links to media coverage and other information resources about public education issues. http://www.parentsunited.org/News.rss7/29/2010 8:45:59 PMhttp://backend.userland.com/rssUPNetEnginehttp://www.parentsunited.org/100727.html Jodie Tweed, Brainerd Dispatch<br> About half of Minnesota students didn't achieve proficiency on their MCA-II science tests this spring, but overall science results are continuing to improve during the third year of testing.7/27/2010 10:21:03 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007275.html Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio <BR>St. Paul, Minn. — Minnesota students continued to score higher on the state's standardized science test this year. 7/28/2010 5:58:38 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007273.html Mila Koumpilova, Fargo-Moorhead INFORUM <BR>Minnesota students im&shy;proved on a state test gauging their science smarts. But in the test’s third year, more than 50 percent of test takers continued to fall short of proficiency.7/28/2010 6:02:45 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007272.html Jana Hollingsworth, Duluth News Tribune <br> Duluth high school and fifth-grade students scored close to the state average on a Minnesota-wide test of science knowledge, but eighth-graders fell considerably below.7/27/2010 10:22:23 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007274.html Norman Draper and Allie Shah, Star Tribune <BR>Despite a second year of gains, half of students continued to struggle in science, state tests show.7/28/2010 5:53:22 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100726.html Don Davis, Forum Communications (Duluth News Tribune)<br> MINNEAPOLIS — Improving education demands more money, Minnesota’s top three Democratic governor candidates say — a tough challenge when the next state budget could face a $6 billion deficit.7/27/2010 10:35:09 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100725.html Star Tribune Editorial<BR>A local district's choice to consider website ads raises questions. 7/28/2010 6:44:28 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100724.html Antonio Acosta, Faribault County Register<br> United South Central School District residents will vote on a new excess operating levy in November and the district’s principals have agreed to a pay freeze.7/27/2010 10:19:17 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007242.html Tom Coombe, The Eli Echo<br>Despite misgivings from some members, the Ely School Board voted unanimously Thursday to proceed with a four-question facilities bond referendum that could cost as much as $18.5 million.7/27/2010 10:33:12 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007243.html Matt Russell, Rochester Post-Bulletin<br> Key details of an upcoming operating referendum in the Rochester school district could be settled Tuesday as the school board holds a critical meeting to discuss the size of the levy voters will consider in November.7/27/2010 10:38:53 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007244.html Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune <BR>The 'delay/deferral/shift' feels like a cut. And getting it back won't exactly be an 'increase.'7/28/2010 6:06:38 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100723.html Duluth News Tribune Editorial<br> What would you do with an extra $32 million? Duluth School Board members will soon be grappling with that question as school construction and reconstruction rolls on, ahead of schedule and well under budget.7/27/2010 10:37:11 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007212.html John Fitzgerald, Minnesota 2020<BR>For the second year in a row, Minnesota may delay state aid payments to schools. It’s an accounting trick that forces school districts to use reserves or take out short-term loans to cover what the state will pay later. The problem comes when schools have to pay these loans back with interest.7/22/2010 8:16:42 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007214.html Sue Austreng, ABC Newspapers<br> After a careful review of the final amended budget for fiscal year 2009-2010, Anoka-Hennepin School Board members approved the document as presented by Michelle Vargas, chief financial officer for the school district.7/27/2010 10:31:27 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007215.html Pioneer Press <BR>Schools can beat the odds. Dayton's Bluff Elementary in St. Paul, a problem school a decade ago, is showing the way. With a population that is mostly poor, and with high numbers of English language learners and new students, the K-6 school has dramatically improved reading and math proficiency and is now one of the city's best performers. 7/28/2010 7:17:51 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007213.html Sherri Keaton, Fargo-Moorhead INFORUM <BR>PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. – Cathy Vague is your typical sports mom. And as an on-the-go mother of two, her concern for Pelican Rapids’ change to a four-day school week is one that she says may affect her children and their sports schedules. 7/22/2010 9:09:23 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007202.html Anne Williams, Bemidji Pioneer<BR>The results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-IIs are in. While this might not mean much to some, school districts pay close attention to the numbers. 7/22/2010 9:01:57 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100720.html Kelly Smith, Fargo-Moorhead INFORUM <br> This November will be déjà vu for Moorhead School District voters. On Monday, the school board decided to go back to voters this fall with the same amount that they asked for last November: an $850-per-pupil operating levy.7/21/2010 4:22:35 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007203.html Gail DeBoer, Walker Pilot-Independent<BR>After two failed attempts to pass an operating levy, the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School Board is hoping the third time will be a charm.7/22/2010 9:18:12 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007192.html Mark Peterson, Stewartville STAR<br> With a pair of voter-approved levies set to expire soon, Stewartville school officials are pondering how to present the public with another levy request this November.7/21/2010 4:20:41 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007193.html Crookston Daily Times<br> State Sen. LeRoy Stumpf says he is dismayed and concerned with the state’s Office of Management and Budget’s decision to again borrow money from strapped school districts to cover the state’s cash flow problems. 7/23/2010 10:09:22 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100719.html David Bauder, Associated Press (Pioneer Press)<BR>NEW YORK — NBC News is convening its own summit with education and political leaders in September to talk about ways to improve schools in light of statistics showing the U.S. lagging in student achievement. 7/20/2010 8:22:04 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100718.html Jerome Christenson, Winona Daily News<br> Test scores are more than just numbers. "Every test score is a student," Winona public school district curriculum director Jenny Bushman said. "Every student has a story."7/19/2010 12:09:13 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007163.html Commentary, Star Tribune<BR>Today, more than ever, the school environment is rich in a diversity that offers students more opportunities to learn. But it also threatens to extinguish any hope for peaceful cooperation among students. 7/20/2010 8:17:49 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007162.html Liz Verley, Morrison County Record<br>The Swanville School Board continues to gather information on increasing its operating levy. Kristen Hanson, a representative of Ehlers, was present at the Board's Tuesday meeting, to explain the steps it would need to complete if it wanted to place an operating levy question on the November ballot.7/19/2010 1:31:29 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007164.html Sarah Lemagie, Star Tribune <BR>In an unusual move for metro-area public schools, those in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district may soon start selling advertising space on their websites.7/20/2010 8:19:22 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100716.html Jennifer Edwards, West Sherburne Tribune<br> “We finished the year where we expected to be,” he said. The district ended the year in June, 2010 with $1,969,116 in the general fund, which includes staff development, health and safety, operating capital, deferred maintenance, and an unreserved amount for athletics and student activities, severance pay and elementary school computers.7/16/2010 9:26:50 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007165.html John Fitzgerald, Minnesota2020<BR>Strangled by chronic underfunding, school districts across the state are taking up one of the last measures allowed to them: The four-day school week.7/22/2010 8:28:06 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007153.html Matt Suoja, Mike Creger, Lake County News Chronicle <br> Students and staff at schools in Two Harbors and Silver Bay will likely proceed as usual this coming school year – it’s expected they will have five days of classes a week after a second denial of the Lake Superior School District’s application for a four-day school week.7/19/2010 1:27:23 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100715.html Kyle Kuphal, Pipestone County Star<br> The 2010 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Series II (MCA II) results released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) earlier this month show at least slight improvements in proficiency levels in most categories for school districts in Pipestone County over 2009.7/16/2010 9:31:50 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007152.html Paul Groessel - Minnetonka Sun-Sailor<br> The Minnetonka School District students scored among the top in the state in the most recent Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests. Results released July 1 from the Minnesota Department of Education show the district exceeding state averages, with approximately 91 percent of students proficient in reading and 85 percent proficient in math.7/19/2010 12:14:40 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007142.html Jean Ruzicka, Park Rapids Enterprise <br> Post-secondary education options in Park Rapids have become a reality. Minnesota State Community and Technical College, working in collaboration with the Hubbard County Rural Economic Development Commission, announced the official opening of M State’s Park Rapids office in the Frank White Education Center Monday.7/16/2010 9:29:12 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007146.html Ben Bradbury, Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch<br> Sleepy Eye Public School has been busy making cuts over the past year to reduce expenses during uncertain economic times. Last Thursday, those cuts reached the highest level of the district’s administration: the school board.7/19/2010 1:29:28 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007144.html Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio <BR>Schools that lay off teachers in the spring usually hire some back in late summer as they get a better idea of how many students they'll have and how their budgets look. The prospect of even a few hires has applicants chomping at the bit. But school district officials say the job market has been especially tight for teachers. 7/19/2010 8:33:55 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/100714.html Kristine Goodrich, Vadnais Heights<br> WHITE BEAR LAKE/MAHTOMEDI — Both Mahtomedi and White Bear Lake school districts again beat state averages on student achievement tests. But both districts had both gains and losses when compared to their scores last year.7/16/2010 9:22:28 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007143.html Rochester Post-Bulletin Editorial<br> Kids' end-of-year report cards require very little interpretation. With nine months' worth of grades and teachers' comments recorded on one or two sheets of paper, it takes an awfully smart child to "spin" the data.7/16/2010 9:34:03 AMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007145.html MaryHelen Swanson, ECM Post Review<br> The North Branch school board decided months ago to proceed with a levy referendum this year to address the continual budget deficits facing Dist. #138.7/19/2010 12:11:29 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007135.html Linda Vanderwerf, Willmar West Central Tribune <br> The Willmar School Board has voted to place an $898.49-per-pupil-unit operating levy on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. The next step is up to the district’s voters, who will be asked to revoke an existing $498.49 levy and replace it with the larger one for the next 10 years.7/14/2010 3:36:23 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007136.html Nathan Hansen, Rosemount Town Pages <br> Voters in Independent School District 196 will have a chance in November to decide whether they’re willing to pay a little more to reduce the cuts needed in district schools.7/14/2010 3:38:03 PMhttp://www.parentsunited.org/1007133.html Mike Christopherson, Crookston Daily Times<br> Crookston School Board member Frank Fee kind of summed up the feelings of everyone around the table at Monday's meeting, when the board heard details from Business Manager Laura Lyczewski on the necessity to borrow money for the second year in a row because the state has for a second consecutive year delayed some funding to school districts.7/14/2010 3:29:46 PM