Grand Forks school district seeks public input on facilities

Feb. 26—Grand Forks school administrators have launched a communitywide survey to gather public input on improving the district's facilities.

The survey, available online, is open through March 5. It should take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. For a video introduction to the survey from Superintendent Terry Brenner is also available.

Paper copies of the survey will be available at the Mark Sanford Education Center, 2400 27th Ave. S., or by calling (701) 746-2200.

The survey is being conducted in collaboration with SitelogIQ, the consulting firm hired by the Grand Forks School Board to assist the district with pre-referendum planning.

For several years, the school district has been repairing and improving the most immediate needs in many of its buildings. Administrators have been working with SitelogIQ more more than a year to explore and identify long-range facilities needs and financial implications and to align community values with the requirements of contemporary educational experiences.

Members of the Facilities Task Force, including community residents with various backgrounds and perspectives, met 23 times over nine months in 2020, to understand the purpose of schools, review engineering assessments, tour buildings, and learn how the school system is funded in preparation for a possible referendum vote.

The Task Force presented its recommendations to the Grand Forks School Board in December.

Since then, the board has held a series of workshops to better understand the Task Force's recommendations and make preliminary decisions on a facility improvement plan.

The board is committed to a facility planning strategy that reflects the priorities of the taxpayers and meets the expectations of this community, and wants those voices to be included in this process, according to Tracy Jentz, communications and community engagement coordinator for Grand Forks Public Schools.