North Dakota United had an excellent turnout for our Lobby Day on Monday, Feb. 17.
Approximately 43 educators and public employees met in Bismarck for a 24-hour whirlwind of legislative activity. We learned from each other, we had conversations with our legislators, and hopefully we made an impact on decisions being made that affect our lives.
‘Lobby Day’ is actually a bit of a misnomer – it began not on Monday morning, but with a day for training and networking on Sunday evening. A lot was packed into those few hours. First, Executive Director Chad Oban and President Nick Archuleta filled our members in about the bills we’re keeping a close eye on and in some cases fighting against.
Some of those spotlighted were the six voucher bills that would use public dollars to pay for private school tuition (which were introduced under the more palatable term of “education savings accounts”); two bills that would establish public charter schools; bills that would provide free school meals for all of North Dakota’s students; and others.
They also highlighted some wins, including the bill that would reduce the lifetime teacher licensure requirement from 30 years to 20 years, which passed in the House and next heads to the Senate.
Also joining us on Sunday were two legislators: House Minority Leader Zac Ista (D-Grand Forks) and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Josh Boschee (D-Fargo).
They shared their takes on some of the bills (good and bad) the Legislature has been grappling with. Also on Sunday night, NDU members workshopped what they would say to legislators once they got the chance, and on Monday morning, they arrived at the Capitol ready to do just that.
Monday morning, many members attended hearings in the Senate and House Education committees before an hour-long Q&A session with the House Education Committee.
This is the second time we’ve been given the opportunity to speak with this committee, and our members took the opportunity to share their opinions and powerful testimony on bills that will directly affect them: especially vouchers, school meals, and K-12 funding.
One highlight of the Q&A was when 2024-25 ESP of the Year Laurie Mahrer stepped up to the microphone.
Mahrer, a speech language pathology assistant at Custer Elementary School in Mandan, shared the difficulties that our Education Support Professionals face, especially with low pay and dealing with students with behavioral issues.
Another highlight was when 2024 ND Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson, of Wachter Middle School in Bismarck, shared several stories demonstrating the danger of implementing school vouchers in North Dakota. She also told stories about her colleagues, one of whom works three jobs because his career as a teacher doesn’t pay enough.
Our members also spoke to various media outlets, discussing the dangers of eliminating tenure in higher education, adopting a voucher scheme, banning library books, and pay for public employees (you can listen to those conversations here and here).
For example, on that final point, Dana Henry, an accountant with the state Information Technology Department, told Prairie Public that the current proposal, which includes three percent raises for state workers for each year of the coming biennium, is simply not enough to properly recruit and retain quality employees in the public workforce.
NDU’s Lobby Day is over, but there is still much to do during the rest of the session: many bad bills to defeat, several good bills to get past the finish line.
Thank you to those who attended this year, for making a difference by making your voices heard.
