Hilltop Elementary Hosting Fundraiser to Buy Technology Items

Blu-ray player, crafts among the items donated for silent auction and raffle.

Simley High School Athletes to Coach Amateurs

Youth track and field day slated for next week.

Pilot College Prep Night Course to Begin This Week

Simley High collaborated with Inver Hills Community College to develop the course.

Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a series of three articles exploring college prep programming in District 199. The first article, School District Pilots College Prep Program for Seventh Graders, posted last week. Simley High School is partnering with Inver Hills Community College to implement an entry-level college night course that will prepare 25 students for post-secondary education. The course, which begins today (March 12) and runs through May 2, has been in development for approximately six months. It will be conducted on the Inver Hills campus in Inver Grove Heights and will teach college survival skills to Simley students performing in the academic middle. Students enrolled in the course will receive one semester …

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Ohio School Shooting: Can It Happen Here?

Inver Grove Heights schools are required to have five lockdown drills per year to prevent violent incidents.

A third student died today, after the school shooting in Chardon, OH, that shocked the nation yesterday. After a rash of similar incidents over the past years, school districts across the U.S. have put in place dedicated safety policies. Inver Grove Heights is no different. Much to Simley High School Principal Jerry Sakala’s relief, our community has never experienced anything like what happened in Ohio yesterday. “Obviously we’re concerned and our thoughts are with them,” he said, “But that’s something that we have been lucky enough to avoid. I think every school principal in the state would feel the same way.” But while hoping for the best, the school district is doing the prudent thing, and preparing for the worst. The district has a …

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NCLB is Left Behind in Minnesota Schools

Inver Grove Heights Schools, and all schools in the state, will no longer be held to the No Child Left Behind standards as the result of a waiver granted by President Barak Obama.

Minnesota is one of ten states to be granted a waiver by President Barack Obama for No Child Left Behind (NCLB.) NCLB was a federal law requiring all students in the nation test at 100 percent proficient by 2014 and sanctions were imposed for "failing" schools. As of Feb. 9, Inver Grove Heights Community Schools, along with all other schools in Minnesota and nine other states, will no longer be held to the NCLB standard. The waiver, and approved changes, will go into effect next school year. Which is good news for IGH schools. Since 2003, when NCLB was instituted, Inver Grove Heights Community Schools only made the grade twice – in 2003 and 2005 every other year the district has failed to make the grade. As of 2011 under NCLB, District 199…

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Superintendent, School Board Discuss Low 2012-2013 Reduction Deficit

Superintendent Wells presented the district's 2012-2013 budget at a work session on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent Dr. Deirdre Wells presented an early look at Independent School District 199’s budget for the 2012-2013 school year at a school board work session on Tuesday evening. The district’s reduction target for 2012-2013 is $472,011. ISD 199 has an expenditure reduction of $317,352 as a result of hiring staff, with a remaining reduction of $154,659. The reduction target is determined by reviewing enrollment projections, fiscal projections and various programs. The 2012-2013 reduction deficit is the lowest the district has seen in years, according to Wells. “We’ve done such a good job managing our finances,” said board member Bridget Sutton. “I’m very optimistic.” During the past several years, the district has made $6 million in …

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School Board Calls for Special Election on Technology Levy

In April, Independent School District 199 residents will vote on a levy to raise taxes $700,000.

At a meeting on Jan. 23, the Inver Grove Heights Community School Board unanimously approved a resolution relating to a capital project levy authorization and called for a special election. The levy, which would fund $7 million in technology software, support and maintenance, appeared on the ballot last November and failed by less than 200 votes. The special election will take place March 27. “That’s our kids’ future,” said Cindy Nordstrom, chair of the board. “The need has not gone away. We still have the need and we’re still going to be asking the same question. And we’ll again listen to whatever the voters put out there for us, but we’re going to try to inform them of the need and why we continue to need it.” If the levy passes, it will…

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State Testing Results "Crucial" This Year For Hilltop, Salem Hills Elementary Schools

Earlier this spring, the state released statewide results for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. Local results are expected in August.

With all but two of the Inver Grove Heights School District's buildings and programs failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, the stakes are high this year for district officials. Late in May, the Minnesota Department of Education released the 2011 statewide Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments results for the 10th grade reading and 11th grade math tests. The number of students who tested proficient on the exams grew marginally this year, but significant achievement gaps remain between white students and students of color across the state. Local numbers won't be released until August, but that doesn't mean that the district isn't paying close attention to the statewide, Director of Curriculum and …

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The Changing Face of Inver Grove Heights Schools

More than a quarter of the school district's students are considered "non-white." How are district officials handling the racial paradigm shift?

How many languages are spoken in the classrooms and hallways of Inver Grove Heights schools? Not one, or two. Not even 10. Try 25, according to Inver Grove Heights School District Director of Technology and Information Lynn Tenney. Tenney, the resident statistics guru for the Inver Grove Heights School District, has been watching the racial trends in Inver Grove classrooms with a careful eye. Minority students now make up 27.6 percent of the district's student population, according to numbers released by the schools, compared to 14.6 percent in 2003. In 2010, Tenney said, more than 50 percent of new students enrolling in first through 12th grade in 2010 were ‘non-white’ students. So it’s no surprise to Tenney and other district officials …

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