Governance: Year In Review
On behalf of the ND United Board of Directors, welcome to the 2025 Year in Review! All of us who have the honor and privilege of serving on the Board thank you for allowing us to represent the broad spectrum of public service constituencies from across North Dakota. The individuals on our Board contribute much time and talent to ensure the smooth operation of our organization and to raise your concerns to the highest level.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share a few of the governance highlights from our work over the past year.
Relationship Building
Great teaching and learning are predicated on great relationships and the same is true of legislative outcomes. Over the course of the last legislative session, we worked hard to build winning relationships with policy makers, the public, and education stakeholder groups. The result was a successful legislative session. ND United’s collaboration with the ND School Boards Association, The ND Council of Educational Leaders, The ND Small Organized Schools, and others helped to provide a unified front as we lobbied for legislation favorable to K-12 public education. Our continued excellent relationship with ND PERS and various agency heads and staff allows us to share the concerns of our non-education public employee members as policies affecting them are developed.
In addition to relationship building with the legislature, we have established other important avenues of communication with others. Recently, NDU Executive Director Chad Oban and I met with the recently selected Commissioner if the North Dakota University System, Brent Sanford. We discussed several matters important to our higher education members including tenure policies, potential changes to the H1 Visa program, funding, and leadership.
ND United’s leadership of the coalition of over 100 organizations that defeated the attempt to eliminate property taxes, Keep It Local, we have earned a reputation as an organization that can help do big things. Chad and I have met with Governor Kelly Armstrong on a number of issues and worked with him against legislation that would have changed the PERS health plan to a non-grandfathered plan and would have pushed the cost of doing so onto public employees. You can be sure that we will work with whomever we must, to advance the interests of our many public service constituencies.
ND4PS
Speaking of collaboration, we are immensely proud of the work that we are doing alongside our partners in advancing the work of North Dakotans for Public Schools (ND4PS). You can learn more about them by clicking here, but suffice it to say that ND4PS’s commitment to strengthening, protecting, and celebrating public education in our state resonates with all of us dedicated to educating our future and strengthening our communities.
Together For School Meals
Over the course of the past few legislative sessions, ND United has advocated alongside food security organizations, school nutrition professionals, registered dietitians, educational leaders, and advocacy organizations to make free school lunches a reality for every child in North Dakota. To us, it makes perfect sense. After all, we have compulsory education laws in our state. We do not charge students to use computers, books, or exercise equipment because we recognize them as necessary tools to accomplish academic goals. Well, lunch is also a necessary facet of educational success and anybody who has taught a “hangry” kid knows how difficult it is for that child to focus on learning when her tummy is growling.
ND United is proud to join these other advocates in supporting Together For School Meals, an advocacy group with the goal of putting a measure on the ballot that would require the state to provide free breakfast and lunch to public school children in ND. A ND United poll shows that 79% of respondents support the idea, as a recent poll conducted by the ND News Cooperative showed 82% support it. You can find out the particulars of the proposed measure and how you can help by clicking here.
Well, I see I’ve exceeded my word limit, so I’ve got to go! Here’s to a blessed Holiday Season and thank you for your membership in North Dakota United!
