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Mara Klecker

Reporter
Suburban K-12 schools
A native South Dakotan and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's journalism college, Klecker has always called the Midwest home. She's worked on journalism projects in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Nepal. In her free time, she can be found reading, hiking or planning her next international trip. She lives in the west metro with her husband and two dogs.

Contact

EMAIL
mara.klecker@startribune.com
PHONE
612-673-4440

Latest from Mara Klecker

Twin Cities Suburbs

What stays in the school library? Amid parent challenges, one district uses review site to flag books

St. Francis district relies on Book Looks, which has concerned parent volunteers rate books for “objectionable material.”
December 18, 2024
Greater Minnesota

Pine City schools to pay $65,000 to student who experienced racial harassment

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found that the school district staff violated Minnesota’s Human Rights Act by failing to respond to and stop the bullying.
December 12, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

How one Minnesota high school prepares teenagers to be heard by the United Nations

The School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley is one of just a couple of high schools nationwide that has consultative status with the U.N.
December 4, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

What’s for school lunch? In one Minnesota district, that’s partly up to the kids.

Anoka-Hennepin school district is using student taste tests to determine what new foods to add to the menu, and there are some clear winners.
December 1, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

Can AI-translated text messages help students? Some Minnesota schools think so.

School districts are trying to balance accessibility and accuracy as they communicate with students' families in other languages using AI translations.
November 29, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

Anoka-Hennepin school board approves plan to close $21M budget gap

The school district will tap into reserves and slash central office positions for now, but cuts at the schools may still be coming.
November 26, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

White Bear Lake schools to offer Spanish dual-language immersion

The program, a popular draw at other schools across the metro, will launch at two elementary schools next fall.
November 25, 2024
Liliana Rodríguez, with the Office of Latine Achievement, instructs students at a downtown homeless shelter in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The Office of Latine Achievement held a winter break academy that the district put on for students at a homeless shelter in Minneapolis. The only significant boost to enrollment at the city’s schools is coming from a wave of hundreds of immigrants to the district. Many of the students are from Ecuador and do not speak English, and most are in tough or unstable living situations. Schools are scrambling to accommodate dozens of high-needs students they hadn’t planned for in their budgets this year. The few dual-language programs in the city are bursting at the seams, meaning many of the new immigrants are placed at schools without enough bilingual educators. ] Elizabeth Flores • liz.flores@startribune.com
Twin Cities Suburbs

Robbinsdale Schools made a $20 million budgeting error. Now what?

The district must cut 10% of its budget and is set to end this school year in statutory operating debt.
November 21, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

Can AI-translated text messages help students? Some Minnesota schools think so.

School districts are trying to balance accessibility and accuracy as they communicate with students' families in other languages using AI translations.
November 29, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

Anoka-Hennepin school board approves plan to close $21M budget gap

The school district will tap into reserves and slash central office positions for now, but cuts at the schools may still be coming.
November 26, 2024
Twin Cities Suburbs

White Bear Lake schools to offer Spanish dual-language immersion

The program, a popular draw at other schools across the metro, will launch at two elementary schools next fall.
November 25, 2024
Liliana Rodríguez, with the Office of Latine Achievement, instructs students at a downtown homeless shelter in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. The Office of Latine Achievement held a winter break academy that the district put on for students at a homeless shelter in Minneapolis. The only significant boost to enrollment at the city’s schools is coming from a wave of hundreds of immigrants to the district. Many of the students are from Ecuador and do not speak English, and most are in tough or unstable living situations. Schools are scrambling to accommodate dozens of high-needs students they hadn’t planned for in their budgets this year. The few dual-language programs in the city are bursting at the seams, meaning many of the new immigrants are placed at schools without enough bilingual educators. ] Elizabeth Flores • liz.flores@startribune.com
Twin Cities Suburbs

Robbinsdale Schools made a $20 million budgeting error. Now what?

The district must cut 10% of its budget and is set to end this school year in statutory operating debt.
November 21, 2024
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