Grand Forks School Board Approves Staffing Cuts Amid Budget Crisis

The Grand Forks School Board has approved the reduction of 13.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff members as part of a strategic response to a projected budget deficit of $4.4 million for the 2025-2026 school year. This decision, made on February 9, 2024, initiates a monthslong process aimed at realigning the district’s budget and addressing financial challenges.

In a recent meeting held on March 12, 2024, members discussed the specifics of a reduction-in-force (RIF) rubric designed to evaluate which staff members will be affected by the cuts. The district’s legal advisor, Rachel Bruner from Pearce Durick, outlined the rubric’s three hierarchical categories: adaptability, academic and professional preparation, and seniority.

Adaptability will be the primary criterion for assessing staff members. If candidates score equally in this area, academic and professional preparation will be evaluated next. Only if scores remain tied will seniority come into play, determined by years of service within the Grand Forks district.

“Once you figure out adaptability, if you have two or more people that are equal on that, then you move on to this next section,” Bruner explained. “If you don’t have any that are equal, the bottom one on adaptability is the one that’s subject to RIF.”

The specific positions targeted for reduction include:

– K-12 music teacher: 4.5 FTE
– 6-8 interventions/special topics teacher: 2.0 FTE
– K-12 physical education teacher: 1.5 FTE
– K-12 multilingual learner teacher: 1.5 FTE
– Secondary multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) coordinator: 1.0 FTE
– Elementary enrichment teacher: 1.0 FTE
– 9-12 School Within a School Teacher: 0.6 FTE
– K-12 instructional coach: 0.5 FTE
– CTE information technology teacher: 0.5 FTE
– 9-12 graphic design teacher: 0.2 FTE
– 9-12 German teacher: 0.2 FTE

Each category within the rubric consists of subcategories that allow for point allocation, which will ultimately determine the overall value of each employee to the district. For example, under adaptability, points may be awarded based on whether a teacher holds any specialty credentials. Academic and professional preparation includes factors such as advanced degrees and national board certifications.

Bruner noted that some subcategories will have capped point values to ensure that no single area, such as extracurricular involvement, disproportionately influences the final assessment. This capping is intended to align the rubric with the district’s overall policy objectives.

“Without putting some kind of cap on it or a maximum, extracurriculars could, and likely would, be given more weight than areas qualified to teach,” Bruner stated. “So, ‘greatest adaptability’ was taking extracurriculars into consideration, but not allowing them more points than an entire teaching area.”

The Grand Forks School Board is expected to finalize which staff members will be laid off based on this rubric during a meeting scheduled for March 23, 2024. The decisions made at this meeting will mark a significant step in the district’s efforts to navigate its financial shortfall while aiming to maintain educational quality.