K-12

Experts say Minnesota has too few school counselors

Minnesota has the second-lowest ratio in the country of school counselors to students, leading some in the profession to contend troubled students are being neglected.

By Associated Press , May 22, 2012

Minnesota school district revises science experiments after accident

The Osseo School District is making more permanent changes to its classroom science demonstrations after an experiment burned four students.

By Associated Press , May 22, 2012

Minnesota schools get new ratings to measure student achievement, accurately portray school performance

The Minnesota Department of Education released new ratings today to gauge student achievement in an attempt to accurately portray school performance — something the No Child Left Behind law failed to do, officials said.

By Jana Hollingsworth , May 21, 2012

Warren school renovation planned this summer

A $4.2 million renovation of the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School in Warren, Minn., will be done this summer.

By Herald Staff Report , May 18, 2012

Rerick named Grand Forks athletic director

Grand Forks Public Schools named Mark Rerick athletic director Monday. Rerick is a former Hillsboro (N.D.) High School football coach and current Dickinson (N.D.) High School athletic director.

By Tom Miller , May 14, 2012

Manager of ND pension funds resigning

John Geissinger says he and his wife want to be closer to family on the East Coast. They plan to move to Connecticut, where Geissinger will work for a private company.

By Associated Press , May 10, 2012

VIDEO: Parents say Leeds school locks children in closet

Parents in here are outraged over a "time out" room recently built in the public school that’s meant to hold disruptive students. School officials say the room is a safe place for students who are out of control but parents say teachers are simply locking children in a closet. The school has stopped using the room and the door has been removed, but parents say they won’t stop fighting until the room is entirely removed from the school building.

By Adam Ladwig , May 08, 2012

Former ND teacher facing sex charges sentenced

A former Jamestown teacher accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl has been sentenced to serve 60 days in jail under a plea agreement with prosecutors. Fifty-four-year-old Richard Laqua pleaded guilty to luring a minor by computer or electronic means, and prosecutors dropped a sexual assault charge.

By Associated Press , May 08, 2012

East Grand Forks group re-launches to help schools

Officials say foundation will fill in state funding gaps
The East Grand Forks Education Foundation is back in action after a 15-year hiatus, inspired by the strain on school budgets that it hopes to meet with an initial $100,000 fundraising effort.

By Pamela Knudson , May 04, 2012

Tim Wollenzien, director, International Music Camp: GF schools’ music and arts support ring out

I travel to many communities and schools throughout the year, and I am aware of planned events in many other places. But there are very few school districts where a concert like this is even attempted, not to mention where there is the interest and support of the community as there is in Grand Forks.

By Tim Wollenzien , May 03, 2012

New Minnewaukan school working toward projected November completion

Jean Callahan strolls through the still unfinished Minnewaukan Public School, past bare block walls, dangling ductwork and exposed electrical conduit. The school includes three wings, one for primary (pre-kindergarten to early elementary), one for upper elementary classes, and one for the high school, classrooms in each wing connected by its own commons area. The new $7 million building will replace an aging, overcrowded school on the east side of Minnewaukan, a facility that’s been threatened for several years by the flooding Devils Lake, referred to by some in this community as the “Beast to the East.”

By Kevin Bonham , April 27, 2012

Post-flood Minot school projects gearing up

The district lost a middle school and an elementary school to the historic Souris River flooding last year. Other school buildings were damaged. Some repair projects are under way, and efforts are proceeding to build additions at two elementary schools and to build a new middle school.

By Associated Press , April 26, 2012

New law has school districts reworking lunch menu

Local school districts are revising their school lunch menus to comply with a new federal law that takes effect in July. Willmar district administrators don't expect changes in their school lunch program will result in a price increase. But, some school board members are concerned it could lead to more wasted food.

By Associated Press , April 26, 2012

The hazards of getting to school in the Devils Lake area

Although driving the school bus route from Devils Lake to Southam and Crary, N.D., isn’t quite as hazardous this spring as it has been the past three years, water-covered and frost boil-marred gravel roads still present a challenge for Miller and other school bus drivers in this basin that has seen record flooding for much of the past two decades.

By Kevin Bonham , April 25, 2012

Adams, N.D., could join Park River School District

Students from Adams, N.D., likely will be heading east for their future schooling. Adams’ reorganization plan with Park River is still being formulated and the vote on the arrangement is likely six months away, but all signs point to the two Walsh County school districts becoming one beginning with the 2013-14 school year.

By Ryan Bakken , April 25, 2012