Top Eagan Education Stories of 2011

This week, Eagan Patch gleaned through our archives to bring you the top news stories and issues of 2011. We've already published our retrospectives on local and news.

Know of a headline or issue that should have made it onto our list? Feel free to post your choices for the biggest school news of the year in the comments section of this article.

5)
Continuing a trend that started in the 2003-2004 school year, the number of students enrolled in School District 196 is expected to decline over the next five years. District administrators predicted in November of this year that local schools would see a bump in student enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year. But that slight increase would be more than matched by a slow decline through the 2015-2016 school year. The number of students in a district determines how much state aid that district receives, and fewer students means fewer dollars for district coffers.

4)
After receiving a $2.2 million federal grant last fall, School District 197 developed three new magnet programs in the area, all of which opened in 2011. The programs include a K-4 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) magnet at ; an arts and health sciences academy at Moreland Elementary School in West St. Paul; and an E-STEM magnet program at Heritage Middle School in West St. Paul.

3)
Eagan is now home to the 11,000 square foot Primrose School—a pre-school learning facility that blends Montessori learning with more traditional styles. The school, which opened this summer, planned to employ nearly 30 teachers and open up enrollment for children six weeks to five years old. It will also have before- and after-school programs for older students.

2)
At the beginning of December, the district put Head Basketball Coach Kurt Virgin on paid leave while it conducts an investigation into "a concern that the district became aware of," school officials said. Data Practices laws prevent the district from releasing the details of the ongoing investigation. In addition to his role on the basketball team, Virgin was the boys soccer coach, a physical education teacher and the Driver's Ed instructor. He has been employed with the district for more than two decades.

1)
The School District 196 School Board laid off 93 untenured teachers and 14 tenured teachers this year, and gave partial leaves of absence to 11 more in a round of budget cuts that took place early this year. The cuts included a restructuring of the district's middle school schedule—shortening the schedule from eight class periods to six in an effort to focus on improving student achievement in core academic subjects.