North Dakota School Boards Association - NDSBA

North Dakota School Boards Association - NDSBA NDSBA is a leading advocate for public education, serving public school districts across ND.

NDSBA hosted an in-person coach preparation day Friday for the StudentsFirst Governance Program!StudentsFirst is a resea...
05/08/2026

NDSBA hosted an in-person coach preparation day Friday for the StudentsFirst Governance Program!

StudentsFirst is a research-based program backed with a national certification for school boards that integrate new behaviors into the annual school district operations to support improving student outcomes.

Exciting things are on the horizon for school districts that have signed up for this program!

Valley City Public Schools hosted the NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting last week. Superintendent Josh Johnson and Board ...
05/08/2026

Valley City Public Schools hosted the NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting last week. Superintendent Josh Johnson and Board President Sherri Horsager shared their thoughts about the event:

"I think this was helpful from a standpoint of being able to organize some thoughts and ideas for all of us," Johnson said. "There is fear, I think, and anticipation of this next legislative session and the impacts that (lawmakers') decisions can have for us on our own school districts -- and education as a whole across the state of North Dakota."

"It's great to network and realize that, with some of the issues, they do go district to district," Horsager shared. "Sometimes they vary in level or severity that we're dealing with, but it kind of reaffirms that, yes, we're all seeing the same challenges, and we're not alone."

Special thanks to the Valley City students who sang the National Anthem to kick off the meeting. We love having students involved in our events!

NDSBA will host regional meetings in July, August, and September. Dates and details coming soon.

After Nathan Berseth was elected president of the NDSBA Board of Directors last October, one of his first priorities was...
05/07/2026

After Nathan Berseth was elected president of the NDSBA Board of Directors last October, one of his first priorities was to launch regional meetings for NDSBA member districts. We held our first one -- the southeast region -- last Thursday, April 30.

"The NDSBA’s first regional meeting in Valley City was a great opportunity to connect, listen, and engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of our schools. One of the biggest highlights for me was simply the conversations happening throughout the event -- board members, administrators, and community leaders sharing perspectives and learning from one another.

"I especially appreciated the presence of legislators and the open discussion around school funding. These conversations are critical, and it was encouraging to see thoughtful, productive dialogue taking place in a collaborative setting."

Berseth is president of the Richland 44 School District and also serves as a Richland County Commissioner.

NDSBA is planning to hold more regional meetings in July, August, and September. We will share dates and details soon!

We at the NDSBA office are all buzzing over this old newspaper article that NDSBA General Counsel KrisAnn Norby-Jahner s...
05/07/2026

We at the NDSBA office are all buzzing over this old newspaper article that NDSBA General Counsel KrisAnn Norby-Jahner shared with us!

This school year marks the 48th anniversary of when KrisAnn's father, Carlyle Norby, disarmed a student in the school. Norby was the school principal and 31 years old at the time.

The 16-year-old boy held a loaded gun on Norby and threatened to kidnap him and some teachers. Norby wrestled the gun away from the boy, and it discharged. No one was hurt.

KrisAnn shares:

"To this day, the bullet hole is still in the floor but very few likely even know of these events. My dad and the gym teacher held him down for a great length of time waiting for law enforcement to arrive 45 miles away. My dad shrugs nonchalantly when you ask him about the story, and my mom found out alongside the rest of the community much later that day when the news came out."

We're all calling her dad a hero, but KrisAnn says Carlyle is very humble about the incident.

"My dad always says he wasn’t about to let anything happen to anyone in his school," KrisAnn said. "By the time he finally retired from teaching, administration, and the school board (his last stop), he dedicated 50 years to public education. The Grenora school still means everything to him!”

Representative LaurieBeth Hager of Fargo has served on the House Education Committee during four sessions of the North D...
05/07/2026

Representative LaurieBeth Hager of Fargo has served on the House Education Committee during four sessions of the North Dakota Legislature. She says in that time, she's heard many derogatory statements toward teachers and the North Dakota school system.

In a panel discussion at last week's NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting in Valley City, Hager said we need to be better about sharing stories of the many positive things happening in our public schools.

"We DO have a great public education system in our state, and we want to keep it that way," Hager said. "One of the ways we do it is to tell that story. That we HAVE successful kids in our state. Sometimes the numbers that we get from the Department of Public Instruction don't show that. Breaking it down into four different categories … doesn't really show the other achievements of students in the state. I think it's the qualitative stories that tell the successes and the outcomes we have in the state."

We are so grateful that State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier joined us for the NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting in Valley...
05/06/2026

We are so grateful that State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier joined us for the NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting in Valley City last week!

Bachmeier encouraged school board members and administrators to do everything they can to get their local legislators to visit their schools and see all the amazing things their doing with students and programming. He also urged them to change their messaging about K-12 funding.

“We need to stop talking about the per-pupil payment as a marginal percentage increase,” Bachmeier said. “The K-12 funding formula is deeply complex, and most legislators, frankly, don’t understand it at a very deep level. The message I’m going to be using is, ‘How much of our total budget is going into K-12 education? If the state budget was a hundred dollars, how much do you think should go to public education?’

"When I served in the governor’s office previously, about 15% of the state budget was going into K-12 education. Right now, it’s closer to 12. We should definitely get it back to 15% And my magic number is 20."

Bachmeier added, "And then we need to do a better job of showing that even though the per pupil can be going up, we can also be valuing education less, which is effectively what we have been doing. If you have a pie and the slices get smaller, I don't know what else to call it. That's what has been happening."

NDSBA is scheduling more regional meetings in the coming months.

05/06/2026

We’re excited to share that beginning today, Minot Public Schools is officially transitioning to a new logo and color palette!

Our NEW colors—silver and gold—were thoughtfully selected to represent the legacy of our two high schools, bringing those traditions together into one unified identity for our district.

You’ll begin to see the new look across our buildings, website, communications, and materials. We look forward to this next chapter and thank you for your continued support!

What's the right time to reach out to your local legislators with concerns about K-12 funding in North Dakota?Now.That w...
05/06/2026

What's the right time to reach out to your local legislators with concerns about K-12 funding in North Dakota?

Now.

That was the message North Dakota Representative Karla Rose Hanson from Fargo shared at last week's NDSBA Southeast Regional Meeting in Valley City.

"But don't just reach out to your local legislators," Hanson said. "Reach out to the members of the Appropriations Committees, because the details get hammered out in those committees. Tell them that a 2.5% each year increase in the per pupil formula isn't going to cut it when our health insurance costs go up 15% ... and gas prices are going up; because you're only giving us only 2.5%, we're going to have to cut elsewhere. The more specifics you can provide -- class sizes will get bigger; we'll have to cut the orchestra program for 6th grade ... those are some specifics that will be real to the typical legislators."

Hanson sat for a panel discussion during the meeting, with Representatives Austin Foss and LaurieBeth Hager from Fargo. About 50 school board members, superintendents, business managers, and county commissioners attended the gathering. NDSBA is planning more regional meetings for this year.

The Pingree-Buchanan School District has an opening for Superintendent. The job posting and application are available on...
05/05/2026

The Pingree-Buchanan School District has an opening for Superintendent.

The job posting and application are available on the home page of the NDSBA website. Starting date is July 1, 2026. Accepting applications until filled.

Contact Amy De Kok at NDSBA.

Address

1224 West Owens Avenue
Bismarck, ND
58501

Telephone

+17012554127

Website

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