Educational changes for the upcoming school year in ND

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and North Dakota School Board Association put on a boot camp for educational administrators

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Published: Aug. 8, 2023 at 1:19 AM GMT+3

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - School board members and administrators met at the State Capitol on Monday for a back-to-school learning session. They discussed pressing educational topics and plans that will be implemented in the upcoming school year.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the North Dakota School Board Association hosted the gathering.

This is the sixth year the boot camp was held.

They talked about which bills from the session took effect on August 1 and how they will impact education.

“We’ve had a lot of lunch bills that are going to go into effect. We had our Learn Everywhere bill that will allow more opportunities for students to earn credit outside of school. We also have the virtual instruction bill that I think a lot of families are excited about,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler.

She says attendees discussed topics such as innovative ways to approach the teacher shortage.

“School board members this morning have come up with some really creative ideas about possibly using the Center for Distance Ed if they can’t find an English teacher, sharing a science teacher with school districts that might be in close proximity,” said Baesler.

She says the session gives the board members the opportunity to learn from each other because a lot of them are first-year members.

“Our goal is just to really bring together school board members from around the state so that they can network and learn together from their peers from different areas of the state,” said Alexis Baxley, executive director of the North Dakota School Board Association.

The new members get a crash course on the responsibilities they hold in their district.

“School board members have two primary roles. They approve budgets and they approve policy. Policy drives what our students should know and be able to do. And the budget drives what our school district employees are actually able to do to reach those outcomes,” said Baesler.

She says they will be focused on student outcomes and ways to make sure students are engaged and ready to make important choices when they graduate.

They also looked at data to identify where they needed to invest time and money for Native American students, students with disabilities and students living in poverty.

Once the new board members leave DPI and the School Board Association boot camp, they look forward to feeling supported and ready to take on their new roles.