Grand Forks School District walks back most of its proposed cuts to music, German programs

Mar. 29—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks School District walked back most previously proposed cuts to music and German language teaching positions in a Thursday message to staff.

"After a month of meetings with applicable stakeholder groups who were affected by the budget realignment exercise, and who reached out to me for two-way dialogue, I wanted to update you on some recent reconsiderations as of today," read the letter signed by Superintendent Terry Brenner and emailed to district staff. The italics were added by Brenner.

Per Brenner's letter, the district will only cut one position from its middle and high school music programs next year via a retiring staff member and will not make any cuts to German programs next year, including its GAPP summer exchange program.

The district also plans to maintain paraprofessionals at middle and high school library media centers "at 50% of the current allocation," though it's not immediately clear whether that's an increase or decrease in the cuts to paraprofessionals' full-time equivalency originally proposed by the district.

Under the terms of a proposed budget realignment first announced to district staff on Feb. 22, the district was set to cut the equivalent of dozens of positions for teachers and non-certified staff next year in a bid to address a budget shortfall and replenish the school district's reserves.

That included cutting more than a dozen paraprofessional positions at every school level as well as several teaching positions for middle and high school band, choir and orchestra.

One-on-one music instruction was expected to be curtailed, while German language instruction was expected to ultimately be phased out entirely.

Brenner had emphasized repeatedly that administrators designed the original package of cuts such that much of the FTE reduction would happen through retirement and departures and staff who found their positions cut would be able to fill other positions in the district.

However, he has declined the Herald's requests to explain how this goal would be achieved. At least one employee who has resigned since February cited the proposed cuts in their resignation letter.

Students in the district's music and German programs

have been among the most vocal opponents

to the proposed cuts, particularly at a Feb. 26 School Board meeting where scores spoke up against the surprise announcement of the cuts.

Since then, Brenner has held multiple meetings with middle and high school music teachers, high school German teachers, and library media specialists and paraprofessionals, and at least once with staff from the SAIL Center.

He has said he is open to holding conversations with any district staff facing cuts.

"We are very happy with the decision and appreciate Brenner meeting with staff and really listening to them," Grand Forks Education Association President Melissa Buchhop told the Herald in a text message. "We also appreciate all the public support for these programs."

Music and German teachers were notified of the change to the proposed cuts to their programs in a pair of emails Thursday. The district-wide email went out Thursday afternoon.

The Herald obtained the message Thursday afternoon, which was subsequently posted on Facebook by the GFEA.

Multiple phone calls and a text message sent to Brenner Thursday afternoon and evening went unanswered, as did afternoon phone calls to Communications and Marketing Manager Melissa Bakke and Executive Secretary Cindy Johnson.

Schools and the district office were closed for the holiday break on Friday.

Brenner wrote in the letter that "concepts on the other side of the balance sheet" would allow the district to meet its planned budget reduction goals, though the letter did not go into specifics except to say the school district would suspend adopting new curriculum for high school languages programs for several years.

The proposed staff cuts constituted a "5% staffing realignment" equivalent to some $3.7 million in salaries and benefits in 2024-25, around half of the $7.3 million in costs the district seeks to shave off its budget to address a projected $3.1 million operating deficit and replenish the district's depleted general fund reserves.

A budget spreadsheet provided by administrators to the Herald also included a $1.5 million curriculum investment as an additional cost on top of the base $3.1 million gap.