Grand Forks School Board candidates offer broad perspectives on school challenges

May 21—GRAND FORKS — Candidates for Grand Forks School Board staked out familiar policy positions in the second candidate forum of the election cycle.

A similar slate of faces to last month's Grand Forks Education Association forum met around two dozen city residents for the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce's Tuesday evening candidate forum. Four School Board seats are on the June 11 ballot.

Stacey Dahl, the chamber's government affairs committee co-chair, led the discussion.

Last month, three candidates — incumbent Amber Flynn and challengers Jay Kleven and Cameron Murphy — participated in the candidate forum held by Grand Forks' teachers union at Red River High School.

They were joined this time by longtime incumbent Eric Lunn, who submitted written questions to the GFEA but did not participate in the April forum.

Incumbent Jeff Manley and candidate Roland Riemers were again absent.

Flynn noted the boards she has served on over the last eight years have "written the blueprint" for the district's approach to school programs and construction projects alike. She expressed a desire to continue that work.

Kleven said his approach to serving on the board would be to put "academic well-being" first, and filter all decisions through that lens.

Murphy said Grand Forks Public Schools are in decline and argued for outside-the-box solutions, like year-round schooling and a greater willingness to hold back underachieving students. He told audience members he'd asked for his kindergartener to be held back.

"To be frank, we used to have a top-rated school district and now we're average," Murphy said.

Lunn pointed to his longevity as an elected official, joking he'd been on the School Board longer than Flynn had been alive, as well as his professional experience working with children as a pediatrician.

He said he is looking forward to the fruits of public-private partnerships like the Career Impact Academy, which was funded by both state dollars and a substantial private local match.

Asked for the biggest challenge facing the school district, Flynn said the district needs more student support services like substance use counselors, pointing to the increasing number of special education students in the district.

Kleven talked about seeing through the district's capital projects, while Murphy said the district needs to produce and support quality teachers.

Lunn also pointed to the importance of recruiting and retaining teachers and creating a healthy work environment for them.

"Are they enjoying their jobs? Are they incentivized by their jobs?" he asked.

Candidates gave a wide range of answers to a broad audience-submitted question that asked simultaneously about student achievement, teacher retention and advocacy for community stakeholders.

Lunn said the district needs to do a better job advocating for itself before the Legislature next year, pointing to the majority share of funding the state contributes to Grand Forks Public Schools' operating budget.

"Money doesn't solve everything, but it does solve some things," he said.

Kleven advocated for "innovative benefit packages," seemingly referencing a call for enhanced teacher benefits he made in April.

Flynn also pointed to the importance of teacher benefits as well as increasing collaboration with UND as a source of teachers and continuing education for the district.

"We have a great teaching and learning college right down the road," she said.

Murphy, continuing his previous line of thought, talked about cultivating "master teachers" within the district.

One area the candidates agreed upon was their unanimous opposition to the proposed ballot measure to eliminate property taxes, with most candidates noting those taxes directly fund the city's public schools.