December 7, 1999 - The Minnesota State Board of Education officially disolves at the end of the month after 80 years of shaping public school policies. The nine-member citizen panel holds its final regular meeting today, and as Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports the board is not leaving quietly.
November 30, 1999 - Saint Paul school district officials say they want more public input on their plans to end the social promotion of students. School board members and administrators discussed the proposed promotion and retention policy last night. But a final vote won't come until early next year.
November 24, 1999 - A new report says Minnesota's public education system is falling short when it comes to preparing students for the world of work. The Citizens League Committee on Workforce Training says the growing shortage of high-skilled workers could force some businesses to leave the state.
November 19, 1999 - A suburban Twin Cities school has won national recognition for its "cutting edge" approach to learning. At a White House ceremony today, officials with the U-S Department of Education named the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley as one of 13 winners of this year's "New American High Schools" awards.
November 4, 1999 - Some state lawmakers say changing the way teachers are paid in Minnesota could ease a teacher shortage and improve student achievement. Members of a House subcommittee heard testimony today on the touchy issue of linking teacher pay to job performance, rather than years of service.
November 3, 1999 - Two-hundred-three of the state's 344 public school districts held elections Tuesday for school board seats, bond issues or tax levies. Voters made changes to the school boards in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. And the state's third largest school district approved a huge bond issue for more school space.
October 25, 1999 - Voters in the state's third largest school district will decide next week whether they want to spend millions of dollars on new classrooms. Officials in the Anoka-Hennepin district are trying to solve a space problem by seeking approval to build a new high school, middle school and two elementary schools.
October 19, 1999 - The November 2nd election could result in a turnover of half of the Minneapolis school board. Four school board seats are up for grabs in the state's largest school district, and only one incumbent is seeking re-election.
October 7, 1999 - University of Minnesota researchers say state and local action is needed to head off a projected teacher shortage next year. A new study from the university's College of Education recommends fast-track training programs for new teachers, new rules to allow the hiring of non-licenced teachers and more state money targeted to teacher recruitment.
September 28, 1999 - The Minnesota Orchestra has won a critical state variance for its proposed 23-million dollar amphitheater in Brooklyn Park. The citizen's board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency voted today to exempt a handful of neighboring properties from state noise laws. The variance was one of the last major hurdles for the project, which has been contentiously debated for a year and a half. Opponents are now promising to take their fight to court.