2009 News

Pawlenty starts cutting budget to close $2.7 billion gap

7/2/2009 2:16:36 PM

Bob Von Sternburg, Star Tribune
$2.7 billion in emergency cuts and shifts to balance the state's budget have begun.

Pawlenty’s school funding: A shift or the shaft?

7/2/2009 2:22:49 PM

Tom Klein, Timberjay Newspapers
School districts expecting the state of Minnesota to make good on $1.8 billion in deferred state aid might be in a for a rude surprise.

More Minnesota schools fall behind in math, reading

7/1/2009 10:27:51 AM

Emily Johns, Gregory Patterson, Glenn Howatt, Star Tribune
State test scores for math and reading are up, but not enough for No Child Left Behind law.

Governor's education funding plan means asking for loans

7/1/2009 10:52:31 AM

Heather J. Carlson and Karen Colbenson, Austin Post-Bulletin
GRAND MEADOW -- If Gov. Tim Pawlenty moves ahead with a plan to delay $1.8 billion in education funding, Grand Meadow Public Schools would have to borrow $750,000 to maintain its cash flow.

Robbinsdale School District to hire as many as 18 staffers with stimulus funds

6/30/2009 1:21:18 PM

Sue Webber, Crystal-Robbinsdale Sun-Post
The goal is to increase student test scores. The avenue to reach that goal includes $4 million in federal stimulus money coming into the district and hiring 18 new staff members.

NCLB hurts the kids that may need the most help

7/2/2009 2:24:38 PM

Faribault Daily News
There were some bright spots in this year’s state standardized test results for the Faribault School District.

Make preschool a funding priority

7/1/2009 10:05:25 AM

Star Tribune Editorial
Scores show that talk alone isn't improving early learning.

New role gives Kline voice in school law rewrite

7/3/2009 7:04:15 AM

Bill Salisbury, Pioneer Press
U.S. Rep. John Kline today predicted Congress will relax the No Child Left Behind Act testing requirements and provide more money for educating children with disabilities.

Pawlenty's education 'shift' is really a cut

6/30/2009 1:29:33 PM

Crookston Daily Times
Plummer, Minn. - Minnesota school districts will face serious budget woes under the $1.8 billion in education cuts proposed by the Governor, said State Senator LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Plummer), who chairs the Senate E-12 Education Finance and Policy Committee.

We Need Another Miracle

6/30/2009 12:52:44 PM

Guest Editorial, Minnesota 2020
For 20 years as a superintendent, I've made the annual pilgrimage. Mecca is not the destination but rather St. Paul. Still, the education faithful descend on Minnesota's capital city with similar zeal. It is not enlightenment we seek. Rather, it is the means with which to keep the lights of our schools burning bright.

Dist. 728 budget includes $6 million in reductions

7/2/2009 2:19:23 PM

North Crow River News
The Elk River School Board approved a $122.42 million operating budget for the 2009-2010 school year.

Components key to ‘doing less with less’

6/30/2009 5:46:24 PM

Dale Gasser, St. Cloud Times
We often hear the phrase “do more with less.” Considering the economic circumstances, I propose that when it comes to public education we should consider “doing less with less.”

How Should We Teach English-Language Learners?

6/30/2009 5:39:54 PM

Claudio Sanchez, National Public Radio
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Arizona has not violated federal laws that require schools to help students who do not speak, read or write English. Despite the federal mandates, these kids often fail to do well in school. So why haven't schools figured out the best way to teach English to non-English-speaking students?

School Board OKs interim bond sale - $2.3 million AAC fund will fill in lost aid gap

7/1/2009 10:50:19 AM

Herman J. Lensing, Melrose Beacon
The Melrose Area Public School Dist. 740 Board approved the sale of up to $2,320,000 in Aid Anticipation Certificates (AAC) Monday, June 22 at its regular meeting.

State strips $140K from JCC

6/30/2009 1:23:20 PM

Meghan Powers, Jackson County Pilot
Jackson County Central can expect $101,000 less in state funding for the next two years than it currently receives, the board of education learned Monday.

Pawlenty targets cities, schools and the poor for cuts

6/25/2009 5:24:10 PM

Marshall Helmberger, Timberjay News
There were relatively few surprises on Tuesday, as Gov. Tim Pawlenty targeted his usual spending priorities for cuts in his effort to eliminate $2.75 billion in state spending through unallotment.

Teachers energized by differentiated instruction

6/30/2009 5:42:22 PM

Mike Christopherson, Crookston Daily Times
Crookston - The federal public education legislation may be called "No Child Left Behind," but teachers in Crookston's public schools say that children will end up being left behind – or bored and unchallenged – if every student is treated the same in the classroom no matter their learning level.

Board passes 2009-10 budget

7/1/2009 10:31:51 AM

Emily Zimmer, The Farmington Independent
The Farmington School District is in much better financial shape than it was in 2006 but that doesn't mean passing the 2009-2010 budget was easy.

Pawlenty shifts mean schools need loans; charters especially worried

6/25/2009 5:35:00 PM

Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, Minn. — Public schools across Minnesota will have to take out loans to make up for the delays in state payments that Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced last week.

Quality Public Education: What's In It For Me?

6/25/2009 12:01:39 PM

Opinion, Twin Cities Daily Planet
This fall, it is estimated that more than 50 of Minnesota's 343 school districts will go to their communities to ask taxpayers to pay more in property taxes to help pay for their schools. Unfortunately, many communities will answer "no," leaving administrators to make tough decisions about staff and programs. We pay for public education through our tax dollars. In these days of economic troubles that bring thriftiness and self-reflection, it's only fair to ask, "Why should I pay for someone else's education? What's in it for me?"

Lakeville School Board passes 'spartan' budget

6/30/2009 1:18:46 PM

Joseph Palmersheim, Lakeville Sun-Current
It was described as only the first of many "spartan" budgets - a foretaste of things to come.

Lack of Investment = Lack of Progress

6/25/2009 6:27:59 AM

Ready 4 K
Results from the Minnesota Department of Education’s 2008 School Readiness Study, released this month, confirm what we already know: Minnesota’s lack of additional investment in early care and education has negative consequences. The study, which uses the Work Sampling System to gain a sense of how Minnesota kindergartners are doing in five domains of development, shows that the number of Minnesota children who are rated “proficient” in kindergarten readiness skills has decreased from past years’ studies.

School board’s preliminary budget will likely be revised

7/1/2009 10:47:45 AM

Karen Carlson, Kanabec County Times
As required by state law, the Mora School Board has passed a preliminary budget for the coming 2009-10 school year. The budget must be submitted to the state by July 1. Budget numbers could, however, be fairly meaningless at this point, according to Mora Superintendent Doug Conboy.

Chisholm School Board approves $1.4K in general obligation aid

6/25/2009 5:42:02 PM

Marie Tolonen, Chisholm Tribune Press
CHISHOLM — In order to compensate for a delay in state aid payments, the Chisholm School Board has approved a resolution to borrow $1.4 million in general obligation aid to ensure cash flow for the upcoming school year.

Blue Earth Area referendum expiring soon

6/25/2009 5:40:19 PM

Sarah Day, Fairmont Sentinel
BLUE EARTH - The school district's referendum is up this year and now the board has to decide whether to ask for another.

Money woes not yet over for Moorhead School District

6/25/2009 5:48:31 PM

Mila Koumpilova, INFORUM
After a spring of teacher layoffs, activity fee hikes and cuts in school supplies, Moorhead school leaders marked the accomplishment of the goal behind those disagreeable tasks – a balanced 2009-10 budget.

Teaching to Student's, Not Industry's, Needs

6/24/2009 6:52:29 AM

Guest Essay, Minnesota 2020
More ominous than the increased time spent preparing for standardized tests, or even the pressure to meet No Child Left Behind progress markers, is the insidious corporatization of classrooms where standardization of process and product is perceived to be synonymous with achievement.

Outgoing school chief warns of 'emerging storm' in budget

6/25/2009 5:22:03 PM

Nicholas Backus, Quad Community Press
CIRCLE PINES — The Centennial School District public will again be approached this fall with an operating levy referendum to increase district funding.

St. Paul school board OKs $25 million in cuts

6/25/2009 5:28:46 PM

Gregory A. Patterson, Star Tribune
Board members delayed until July a vote on a plan to close two elementary schools.

By the numbers: Minus one-time money, Minnesota's next budget deficit will be three to four times worse

6/25/2009 5:19:44 PM

Steve Perry, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
The likely impact of the fiscal hole left in Minnesota's finances when Gov. Tim Pawlenty exits stage right a year and a half from now is so big it seems practically unfathomable from here. Around the Capitol, only fiscal staffers and a handful of legislators have really begun to reckon with it. But a little back-of-napkin arithmetic is good enough to suggest its outlines.

Virginia Schools taking $2.4 million hit in 2009-2010

6/25/2009 5:55:54 PM

Charles Ramsay, Mesabi Daily News
VIRGINIA- Virginia’s School Board saw out the old school year and welcomed in the new on Monday by approving the latest 2008-09 year budget revision and the 2009-10 district budget.

State doesn't keep its end of the bargain

6/25/2009 5:53:05 PM

Mike Christopherson, Crookston Daily Times Editorial
A somewhat less than scholarly debate erupted on a Twin Cities media outlet’s Website last week, as readers commented on stories detailing Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unilateral balancing of the state budget, which is $2.7 billion in the hole, through the unallotment process.

School board appears ready to ask for levy renewal

6/25/2009 5:38:22 PM

Tom Larson, Morris Sun Tribune
Morris Area School District voters could be asked this fall or in 2010 to renew an operating levy that expires after the 2011-2012 school year.

Wind turbines, nonferrous mining could earn millions for trust that benefits K-12 education

6/25/2009 5:46:46 PM

Charley Shaw, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
For more than a century, Minnesota has been earning money by selling timber and minerals found on the state’s school trust lands.

The Education Essay Series: Kicking it Off with an Equation for Success

6/24/2009 6:14:56 AM

John Fitzgerald, Minnesota 2020
x=y, where 'x' is what state officials determine is necessary for a quality education and 'y' is what it costs.

Minn. To Write Schools IOUs To Fix State Budget

6/24/2009 6:19:42 AM

Associated Press (WCCO)
Pawlenty is balancing Minnesota's budget by holding back nearly $1.8 billion in payments to schools. There's no band anymore at Nashwauk-Keewatin Schools. Art and music classes are history, too. Almost a quarter of the teachers were laid off to fix a deficit.

Legislature challenges Governor’s unallotment decisions

6/24/2009 6:28:41 AM

Christina Wessel, Minnesota Budget Bites
On Thursday afternoon (June 18, 2009), Tom Hanson, Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), presented the Governor’s unallotment plan to the Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC). This is a required step in the unallotment process. Legislators were prepared with plenty of questions…and lots of challenges (you can watch the video online). But remember, the LAC does not have any authority to reject or change the Governor’s unallotment decisions.

Ely schools Downsizing to single K-12 building may be best hope of keeping a community school

6/19/2009 3:47:14 PM

Timberjay News Editorial
If you think you’ve got it bad, just imagine life as a member of the Ely School Board.

Mahtomedi schools cut spending

6/19/2009 3:36:45 PM

Kristine Goodrich, White Bear Press
MAHTOMEDI — District 832 approved a 2009-10 preliminary budget last week that includes $750,000 in spending reductions and fee increases.

Pawlenty lays out budget shifts, cuts

6/19/2009 4:51:23 PM

Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune
The governor maps out a plan to offset the $2.675 billion deficit on his own. He calls the moves targeted and softened. DFLers say the cuts damage the state.