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THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2023 VOL. 20 NO. 10 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
BEST OF CONTEST: Nominate your favorites PAGES 2 AND 18
Friday night lights to debut in 2024
Working with wood helps traumatized cope
BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
Varsity football is moving. The school district got its wish to expand seating at its new stadium to accommodate the fans. It was never a question of “if”, but “when” varsity games would move to the new facility at the unified campus. Foreseeing that football fans would outnumber the 1,500-seat-capacity stadium, the district asked the city to amend its conditional use permit (CUP) to add another 3,500 seats. That was the plan all along, explained Tim Wald, assistant superintendent for finance and operations. “We’re just doing it earlier than we anticipated.” The district spokesman said pre-2019 referendum, football was expected to remain at South Campus until they could bring larger events to the new high school. “In 2018-’19, we didn’t anticipate we’d have the footprint to build the amenities for parking and other things (concessions and restrooms, for example). That changed when the district acquired more property (from people selling their homes),” Wald said. “What hasn’t changed is our desire to move football to the new campus.” There were neighbors opposed to the expansion due to traffic concerns and noise, mostly, and the mayor gave both sides time to speak at the April 11 City Council meeting. Mariner High School grad Jeff Taylor, class of ’79, encouraged council to delay approval. “My concern
DEBRA NEUTKENS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Russ Hanes, left, and Greg Freeman hold a challenge coin flag made in a woodworking class. Note their Invisible Wounds Projects (IWP) sweatshirts. Every line on the map represents a group they work to support: green is military; blue, law enforcement; red, fire; gold, dispatch; white, EMS and frontline medical staff; and gray represents corrections. See story on page 3.
SEE STADIUM, PAGE 6
North metro school districts see fewer applicants One thing most school districts can agree on is how difficult it has become to find teachers. Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, districts across the nation are still feeling the effects. Many districts are facing teacher shortages, as fewer people decide to pursue careers in education. The 2023 Teacher Supply and Demand Report shows the ongoing trend of district struggles to retain current educators and recruit new individuals to
the profession in Minnesota. A majority of districts reported being “somewhat significantly” or “very significantly” impacted by the teacher shortage (84%) and substitute teacher shortage (89%). The report also states that nearly one-third of new teachers leave teaching within their first five years in the profession. Centennial Schools Currently, Centennial Schools has approximately 20 open teaching positions. “There are simply not that many candidates for teaching positions. We (recently) attended the Minnesota Job
CONTRIBUTED
District surveys remain an important element of the discussion regarding supply and demand of teachers. Table 26 shows how districts perceive the teacher shortage and availability of teachers.
SEE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PAGE 13
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