Author: Jim Bayer

Eden Prairie Schools has been in the solar power business since 2015 when it made the decision to invest in two community solar gardens in Wright and Dakota counties.

Eden Prairie Schools Eden Prairie Schools reports updated 14-day COVID-19 cases among students and staff every Friday. EPLN will report that information every other week. 3/26 – 4/9 Staff – 0 cases Students – 20 cases (Note: Eden Prairie Schools has 1,825 staff members and 8,768 students. Total staff is all district employees, including coaches, advisors, and reserve staff.) City of Eden Prairie/Hennepin County and Surrounding Cities Hennepin County and the City of Eden Prairie report 14-day COVID positive rates per 10,000 residents. EPLN will report information for Eden Prairie, Hennepin County and a few cities contiguous to Eden Prairie each…

COVID-19 case rates in Eden Prairie have inched back up to where they were three months ago, according to Hennepin County’s COVID-19 Public Dashboard. Eden Prairie’s case rate per 10,000 people for the period of March 9-22 stood at 30.0. That compares to 31.6 for the last two weeks of December 2020. The rate had dropped to 16 the first two weeks of February. Hennepin County’s overall numbers are higher but compare a bit more favorably over the same time period. The county’s case rate was 26.9 from March 9-22, up from 18.2 the first two weeks of February, but…

The Eden Prairie School Board got its first look March 22 at a proposed $38.4 million capital expenditure budget for fiscal year 2021-22. The board will vote on the proposal at its April 26 meeting. Proposed expenditures include $22.7 million to complete the ongoing Central Middle School construction project, which includes major upgrades throughout the school, including cafeteria, gymnasiums, classrooms, a new outdoor running track, and a new performing arts center. Part of that money – $11.8 million – comes from the Designing Pathways referendum. The rest is being paid from the long-term facility maintenance (LTFM) fund, which is funded…

When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 last week, he pretty much guaranteed that Eden Prairie Schools will be in line for its share of $1.9 trillion in stimulus money. The Eden Prairie School District has already received more than $3.4 million in COVID relief funds. Another estimated $2.8 million is expected from the relief package passed in January. The district is awaiting guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education about the exact amount and allowable uses for those funds, according to Jason Mutzenberger, Eden Prairie School District executive director of business services. The first…

Zoe Hendrickson expected to start this school year as a 7th grader at Central Middle School (CMS). Instead, she has spent school days since last September at home with her 6th grader sister, Ava, doing classwork on EP Online. Zoe, 13, and Ava, 11, are not alone – 2,500 Eden Prairie students and their families elected not to return to school last fall due after a spring of distance learning last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the district’s secondary students join K-6 students back in the classroom March 22, Eden Prairie Schools is diving head first into the online…

Eden Prairie Schools Eden Prairie Schools reports updated 14-day COVID-19 cases among students and staff every Friday. EPLN will report that information every other week. 2/28 – 3/12 Staff – 1 case Students – 14 cases (Note: Eden Prairie Schools has 1,825 staff members and 8,768 students. Total staff is all district employees, including coaches, advisors, and reserve staff.) City of Eden Prairie/Hennepin County and Surrounding Cities Hennepin County and the City of Eden Prairie report 14-day COVID positive rates per 10,000 residents. EPLN will report information for Eden Prairie, Hennepin County and a few cities contiguous to Eden…

Lauren Scherer, a seventh grade pre-algebra and science teacher at Central Middle School (CMS), has been named a semi-finalist for 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Scherer, in her fifth year teaching at CMS, describes her teaching style as “theatrical” and has cats named Pythagoras and Fibonacci – a tip of the hat to her area of expertise. “I strive to build the confidence within students so that they feel they can conquer any challenge presented to them,” she told EPLN recently. “I believe that math is fun and beautiful and that reframing math in an approachable manner is the key to student…

Hennepin County has relented on its plan to restripe Baker Road to three lanes following the Eden Prairie City Council’s unanimous recommendation March 2 to leave the road as it is. Resurfacing of the road between Martin Drive in Eden Prairie and the I-494 bridge in Minnetonka will move forward this summer, but it will be striped in its current four-lane configuration, according to a March 4 post on the county’s website. The project includes construction of pedestrian curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. “Later in 2021 spring and summer, we will being work to upgrade pedestrian…

Central Middle School’s (CMS) new 700-seat theater will be known as the Performing Arts Center (PAC), or, in short “CMS PAC”. The Eden Prairie School Board unanimously approved the recommendation of a school-based advisory group at its Feb. 22 meeting. CMS students, staff and parents were surveyed earlier this year to generate a list of important words to be included in the theater’s name. A second round of surveys resulted in the final recommendation. CMS Principal Nathan Swenson expressed some surprise at the results, but said, “This was clearly the preferred option.” Swenson downplayed concerns about potential confusion with the…