Blog #16 - Schools in Change

As factors such as declining enrollment, federal and state school aid cuts, and the recession effect local economies across the Midwest, schools are forced to make decision on how to keep within tighter and tighter budgets. One Minnesota school district has decided to reduce their school week to four days. Warroad school board vowed to cut its budget by $900,000 and $140,000 of that will come from cost savings but the reduced school week.

The Fargo Forum reported on the decision this week with a split vote of 4-2. Some of the other savings will come from position cuts.

The good news is that enrollment per grades has stabilized or increased from 75 to 95 students.

Other cities in Minnesota have made similar decisions - MACCRAY school district of Maynard of Clara City and Raymond we central Minnesota. The Warroad model was framed after Maynard. The students will attend school for 64 minutes more Monday through Thursday than they did Monday through Friday, and attend school for 144 days instead of 170.

Parent comments were mixed in this decision. They wonder what the children will be doing on their Fridays when both parents work. Phil Heppner, chairman of the school board, indicates that not all details are worked out – but they are committed to making it work.

I’ve also heard about 12 month schools across the U.S. Students may attend class for 4 months and have a month off. One SITE I found has blogs about a whole array of options for schools terms/years and tracks.

This is a very interesting discussion. More than once I’ve heard higher education employees say they would love to go to a four day work week and many classes are less than five days a week. So maybe higher education should be looking at the process. What would we be saving?

Blog 15 - Bargain Hunters Get Ready!

This week I was looking for something related to spring. Since we still have high water in our basement and there isn’t much I can do until it recedes, I’m grabbing at straws. My mother is looking at apartments and thinking about selling her house so there isn’t a need to give her certificates for flowers this year for Mother’s Day. I have too many dilemmas in my life right now. Thus my search for a brighter side.

What is more spring in North Dakota than Garage Sales. The Fargo Forum is filled with them already! This site lists them by area in town – North Fargo, South Fargo, West Fargo, Dilworth, Moorhead, and Surrounding Area! Guess that’s what you get in the big city. Not only are there hundreds in each section of town, but if you advertise with the Forum, you can be included in a City Map of where you are located so the deal seekers can find you.

My sister is talking about a sale at my Mom’s since she’s moving into something smaller. Sounds like work for me but what a way to clean out! For years my Mom has been offering things to us kids that she’s ready to part with. What could she have left? I think we’ll be surprised.

Many of the sale list them as multi family or associated with a church or organization as a fund raiser. Right now the list isn’t too large but give it a couple weeks and Fargo will be buzzing.
Then there is clean up week where curb items are traded with lesser quality stuff off your truck. You’ll see college students doing that and I think my daughter and her roommates will be among the traders.

Anyway – if you’re looking for the collectable bargain, get you paper every Wednesday to map your trek to find everything you could want!

International Flare At VCSU

The article I read this week was found on VOANews.com. It is the story of how and why a foreign student chose Valley City State University. It was interested to hear that many of the reasons Fakira Soumaila chose VCSU coincides with why many students choose VCSU.

Fakira indicates that she wanted to study in the United States and size was a determining factor in her decision. She talks about the teachers being very willing to help in and out of class. She also talks about the friendly staff helping to integrate her into the campus and city community. Being in smaller class sizes helped Fakira quickly improve her English speaking skills.

Fakira’s goal is to be a pediatrician and she will go to medical school when she graduates from VCSU. She feels VCSU is challenging her to be prepared for that next step.

It’s interesting that no matter where students are from, they choose the college they choose for much of the same reasons. If you poll VCSU students, you’ll hear that smaller class size is a big reason for coming here.

VCSU is fortunate to have students like Fakira willing to travel to a country and quite small town she’s never been to before to gain her education. Not only is she getting what she wants, but those on campus are learning from her also. My family has been host family to her and we have learned so many things about her home country as well and her growing up years in Rome. Because I’ve not been overseas, this was a great opportunity for me as well as for her. I feel richer having Fakira and other foreign students at VCSU and I hope I return that to them as well.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in a Holiday dinner with the foreign students on campus. After dinner they played Taboo – a game where you try to get your team to say a word you describe without saying a provided list of words. It was amazing to hear the students from various countries talking so fast I couldn’t understand much of what they said while they had no problem at all.