Residents petition to leave NW. Minnesota school district

Several hundred parents and property owners have petitioned to leave the Greenbush Middle River School District, saying their children are going to school elsewhere and they want their property taxes to support the district where the students are attending.

In a petition filed in Roseau County, the Middle River Annexation Property Owners Group asked the court to order the district to detach their properties and assign them to the Marshall County Central School District.

Last year, the Greenbush Middle River district, some 335 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, consolidated amid declining enrollment, closing its lower campus in Middle River and moving all students to the school in Greenbush. As a result, many students open-enrolled in the Marshall County district.

The petitioners seek to pay their school taxes to that ­district.

The Greenbush Middle River district has asked the court to deny the petition.

The Greenbush Middle River district, with an enrollment of about 300, is known for the success of its high school robotics team, which has won two state championships in recent years.

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