The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon this week released the September 2015 notice of vacancies for various state boards, councils and committees. A new education-related vacancy has been posted: Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Appointing: Governor Compensation: None Vacancies: One Member To develop, implement and promote state broadband policy, planning and initiatives to achieve State broadband needs and goals. Inventory, … Read More
Blandin to Sponsor Broadband Webinar on Libaries and Schools
In rural Minnesota, even where broadband access remains sparse, technology is still a driving force in educating today’s students. MREA is working alongside the Blandin Foundation to address this. Blandin sponsors monthly webinars to provide rural Minnesota leaders with information to help transform their communities into tech savvy places to live, work and visit. Webinars are recorded and archived on the … Read More
Credentialing Change Threatens Concurrent Enrollment
Minnesota’s growing concurrent enrollment (dual-credit) programs for high school students to earn college credit while attending high school is being threatened by recent actions of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Commission is proposing new credentialing requirements for Minnesota’s secondary teachers to teach these college courses under the auspices of a college or university. MREA Working to Establish Coalition MREA is very … Read More
Sign Up for September Area Meetings
MREA has kicked off its 2015 statewide tour of meetings with members on the priority issues that matter to them. Register today and join us as we talk about successes and look forward to the 2016 Legislative session. Meetings will be held in September in these communities: Blue Earth Eyota Fergus Falls Little Falls Moose Lake Slayton Thief River Falls … Read More
Discount Still Available for Team Conference Registrations
In less than 3 months, education professionals and allies will gather for MREA’s 2015 Annual Conference, which is Minnesota’s only educational conference bringing together teachers, principals, superintendents, board members and other administrators. Member discounts are still available for teams of 3 individuals from the same organization — $180 team savings off individual registrations. MREA’s largest gathering of the year, this year’s Annual … Read More
Be the Voice of Rural Education at MN State Fair
If you are planning to attend the Minnesota State Fair that runs through Labor Day, MREA encourages you to be the Voice of Greater Minnesota Education by talking with legislators who will be there. You can also be the Speaker of the House at the House of Representatives exhibit at the fair. Let legislators know about these education issues critical … Read More
Land Swap: Next Steps Started
The U.S. Forest Service announced last week that it plans to begin an environmental impact study of the proposed land swap of 30,000 acres of school trust lands inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) for federal forest land outside the BWCAW. MREA along with other educational organizations has been working on this issue for over five years. The land swap would … Read More
Spurring Investment in Next-Generation Broadband
Technology has become a key component in educating today’s students. Yet in rural Minnesota, broadband access remains sparse. MREA is working alongside the Blandin Foundation to address this. In the monthly webinar, “Advocacy Groups — Who Are They?” hosted August 13 by the foundation, they discuss how to spur investment in next-generation broadband infrastructure while engaging communities to adopt next generation … Read More
Share Voice at Area Meetings
MREA invites all its members to attend an Area Meeting this August and September to share their voice on issues important to their school district. Area Meetings start Tuesday in Walker and Wednesday in Virginia. Every fall MREA’s advocacy staff hits the road to gather input from MREA members. We review outcomes from the last legislative session, preview upcoming issues, and help members understand how their districts are impacted. Check out … Read More
Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America
The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network recently hosted a webcast that focused on how communities in rural America are in major transition as leaders confront the realities of significant social, cultural, and economic shifts. Their August 11 episode, “Public Schools at the Crossroads: Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America,” focused on how public schools today are at a crossroads as they try to … Read More