Education

Students in Deer River are tending to a "pizza garden" this summer, with the hopes of hosting a pizza party using ingredients from the garden in September 2026.

The School Board unanimously passed its budget, leaving a little more than $136,000 of cash flow available in its general fund.

The drum ceremony planned for Brainerd High School's commencement will continue after all, despite previous communication that the district was pulling its support.

As Bemidji Area Schools mediates with its bargaining units after a spring of budget cuts, Bemidji bus drivers and their supporters urged the Board for their support.

More than 350 educators and community members assembled along Oak Street to call attention to the unsettled union contracts ahead of the May 11, 2026, School Board meeting.

The Permanent School Fund uses revenue from the sale of timber, minerals and land on 2.5 million acres of School Trust Lands to fund public school districts and charter schools around Minnesota.

Rising health care costs are stressing K-12 teachers whose pay is already estimated to lag similarly educated professionals by more than 30%, according to a 2025 study.

The bill would establish rules for field trip supervision, improve mandatory reporting to include grooming and create a new felony offense for child grooming.

In its April 20, 2026, meeting, the School Board approved a series of cuts in licensed and non-licensed staff and approved a tentative agreement with the local teachers union.

A bill authored by Rep. Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan, would give the Blue Ribbon Commission more time to recommend cuts and eliminate the automatic funding cut.