Grand Forks School Board to meet Monday regarding personnel complaint against Superintendent Terry Brenner
May 17—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks School Board members will meet Monday to discuss a personnel complaint filed against Superintendent Terry Brenner.
At 5:38 p.m. on Friday, Grand Forks Public Schools issued a late-afternoon notice of the special meeting. Board President Amber Flynn is expected to make recommendations on how the School Board should respond to the personnel complaint.
Per the School Board Policy Handbook, investigations of personnel complaints must be handled by the employee's immediate supervisor, except in the case of the superintendent or business manager, who must be investigated by the board president.
"The investigation is ongoing. I don't have a comment at this time," Flynn wrote in a Friday text message, clarifying in a follow-up message the investigation was expected to be completed before the board meeting.
Brenner could not be immediately reached for comment late Friday afternoon, and the notice was issued after the school district office had closed for the day.
As of Friday afternoon, the meeting agenda posted on the Grand Forks Public Schools' website included only the notice of meeting.
The Herald has been aware of an internal investigation of a high-level administrator for several weeks but has been unable to confirm the subject of the investigation.
On April 19, the Herald
first reported an internal investigation of a Grand Forks Public Schools employee
was underway, after the district denied a Herald open-records request and cited two North Dakota Century Code statutes relating to investigations of public and school employees.
An internal investigation remained ongoing as recently as Wednesday, based on the district's response to a subsequent request for records.
Cindy Johnson, the district's executive secretary and open-records officer, told the Herald she was unable to release documents relating to an ongoing internal investigation because the records are confidential until the investigation is completed.
Johnson's response is the first time the district has openly acknowledged an internal investigation was taking place.
The Herald has filed another open-records request for details on the complaint filed against Brenner and any investigation conducted by Flynn.
Brenner received a largely positive assessment by the current School Board, which rated his performance as superintendent as "Satisfactory" in its most recent evaluation.
The board also voted in March to renew Brenner's rolling three-year contract through 2027.
