Sauk Rapids-Rice

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and today (Thursday) at Sauk Rapids-Rice high school it was served in a different way. Several students and the Tanner's Team Foundation teamed up to serve over 900 students Ice Cream in honor of International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.

Sauk Rapids-Rice superintendent Dan Bittman will be in attendance during President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday night. Bittman was invited by Representative Tom Emmer for being Minnesota's 2016 superintendent of the year.

President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act" on Thursday, which will give states more control over school accountability and testing. Locally, Sauk Rapids-Rice superintendent Dan Bittman says he sees the new law as an improvement, as it's expected to give more flexibility to local districts.

The schools in the St. Cloud metro area are getting ready for winter. Once again this year, The St. Cloud Area School District, Sartell-St. Stephen, and Sauk Rapids-Rice, as well as all of the parochial schools, will work with each other on a coordinated plan for school closings, late starts, or early outs.

This week, WJON is featuring several area superintendents to highlight their school district before the 2015-2016 school year kicks off. Today, we highlight Dan Bittman, superintendent of Sauk Rapids-Rice schools. Bittman became superintendent back in 2010.

A Sauk Rapids-Rice teacher is retiring this spring after working in the district since 1971. Colleen Christenson is a 5th grade teacher at Mississippi River Elementary School. Christenson says she knew she wanted to be a teacher at an early age and that things have changed drastically in the classroom since she started.

Governor Mark Dayton vetoed an education funding bill on Tuesday, saying it wasn't big enough and didn't include preschool funding for four-year-olds in the state. Locally, Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Dan Bittman says he supports the idea of early education and preschool, but adds the district would run into space concerns if the state required it for four-year-olds.

A former Sauk Rapids-Rice High School teacher is charged with soliciting sex from a boy he met at a theater group. Thirty-four-year-old Andrew Hasty, is charged with three felonies after police say he asked a 15-year-old boy to send him photos of his genitals.

The Sauk Rapids-Rice school district won first place for the Nation's Magna Award for its effots to increase access and opportunities for all students. The Magna Award is a national award that honors school boards best practices and innovative programs to advance student learning.

Increasing enrollment in the Sauk Rapids-Rice district is leading to potential space crunches in their buildings. The district recently approved the process to hire an architect to study its buildings.