AREA FOOTBALL PREVIEW INSIDE!
Pg. B1
The official newspaper of Cavalier County Theborderlandpress.com
In this issue:
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 4, Number 33
Langdon School District prepares for new year Discussions still being held revolving around efficiencies, funding avenues By Hilary Nowatzki
News: Frost Fire hosts second annual golf tourney fundraiser, Pg. A2
Agriculture: Farmers should be aware of unique dangers when haying ditches, Pg. A3
Region: Unity Medical Center earns 3-Year Acute Cardiac Ready Hospital designation, Pg. A10
New haircuts are being rocked, backpacks are full, lunch boxes are packed, and doors opened at schools last week around the Borderland region. The first school board meeting of the academic year was held on Monday at 7 p.m., and the administration reported that Langdon Area Schools are fully staffed and ready to take on a new semester.
first held last month about curriculum cuts, but the board decided against them.
last school board meeting, the total cost of approximately $30,000 is nowhere near enough.
“There’s only one way to generate income, so we have to look for efficiencies, so we need ideas,” said Dave Hart, board president, at Monday’s meeting. “We can’t cut enough. We can’t cut enough to put back in.”
Frustrations are mounting, as the board doesn’t know where to look to provide the funds. The district is unable to cut enough from their budget to address deferred maintenance needs.
Back to school nights have been hosted and parents and students alike are getting back into the routine of things.
“The community needs to understand that they put us between a rock and a hard place,” said Tiffany Hetletved, vice president of the board.
“It’s the deferred maintenance stuff that is weighing everything down,” said superintendent Daren Christianson.
“Ready or not, here we come,” exclaimed Jacy Bata, elementary “I don’t want to keep cutting, cutting, cutting, and then you’re not school principal. going to get those programs back. However, after the June 10 failed ref- We know how that works once it’s erendum vote, a summer has been gone,” Hetletved would add later in spent with residents in the area concerned about the future of the facili- the meeting while discussing staffties. Proponents of the vote said the ing and curriculum cuts, although 19.9 million dollar bond was needed none are planned for this school to keep Langdon Area Schools working properly, modernly, and more effi- year.
The deferred maintenance is forcing the district to pull money from the general fund to cover the building fund needs, which is unsustainable in the long run. The board questioned if they would pose another referendum vote next year. However, board member Tyler Feist pointed out the sobering assessment that community distrust could be playing into their issues right now.
“Everything that I’ve heard and I mean, I’ve talked to a lot of people. I’m out in the farming community. There’s a lot of mistrust between our community and our administration right now, including ourselves The school is looking at a $5 million as a board,” said Feist. “I’m a no Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the board still needs to find cost just for roof repairs on top of other vote on a mill levy or anything until the money to cover deferred mainte- pressing needs, which dwarfs smaller nance costs for both the elementary budget items the board is considering we get that trust back.” ciently. Those against the referendum argued that now is not the time for increased taxes with the city street project taking place, and some also cited that a chunk of the cost - for a gym addition in the elementary school - was unnecessary.
“I don’t think we can cut our way to what we need to happen,” responded Abby Borchart, school board member. “I feel like we’re looking at so many little things, I mean ‘little’ relative to a $5 million bill for our roofs.”
and high school buildings. Talks were
cutting. Although they decided to nix the elementary sports program at the
The board proposed live streaming
school board meetings as a way to gain back trust, however, the board decided against this, citing that the recordings of each meeting are posted on the school’s website. “Streaming video of the Langdon Area School Board meetings is a decision of the board with concerns over ensuring management of providing the stream and storing the video long term as would be required by open records law,” said Christianson. As the highest earner in the district, Christianson himself, has been under scrutiny. As superintendent of Langdon Area Schools, he makes substantially more than some schools in Fargo or Grand Forks, coming in at approximately $199,000 annually. The average salary for a superintendent in the state of N.D. is $100,000-$140,000, according to data from ZipRecruiter. However, he stated that supply and demand play a role in this salary. He also cited other smaller area school’s superintendents rates from the 20222023 school year, which, at Grafton, the salary is $207,000; over at Mayport CG, that number is around 202,000.00; and over in Carrington, that number is $201,000, both of which are higher than Christianson’s. “Compensation for the superintendent’s position is determined by many factors with education and years of experience along with the size of the district being considered. In the earncont’d. on page A2
Strong turnout for Walhalla Fire Dept. Corn and Sausage Feed By Rebecca Davis
Best of the Rendezvous Region entries due
On Friday, Aug. 15 the block surrounding the Walhalla Fire Department was lined with community supporters anxiously waiting for their turn in line at the annual Corn and Sausage Feed hosted by the department.
Firefighter Mike Cook shared that while normally the crowd comes in waves, this year it was a steady hard hit from 5 p.m. to a little after 7 p.m. “It seemed really busy,” he said.
Cook explained while they didn’t run out of food, when they noticed attendees were lined up the block, they did get concerned. However, with teamwork and dedication, no one left with an empty stomach!
Funds raised from the free-will supper go towards the fire truck fund which helps purchase new trucks and update equipment. The department is currently in the process of building a new addition.
By Nick Vorlage
The fire hall was filled with attendees for the fundraiser hosted last week by the Walhalla Fire Department. Photo by Larry Stokke.
The Rendezvous Region tourism group is reminding residents that this is the final week to submit their entries into the Best of the Rendezvous Region contest. Firefighters shucking corn for their annual fundraiser. Photo by Larry Stokke.
The contest looks for participants to nominate their favorite aspects of living in the Borderland region, ranging from dining spots, food trucks, outdoor attractions, outstanding retail destinations, and more. Winning entries will be showcased at the annual Rendezvous event held at the Icelandic State Park later this fall. The contest runs now through Aug. 23. A link to the contest survey is available at our QL page at myborderland.com.
Firefighters preparing the fixin's for the annual Corn and Sausage Feed. Photo by Larry Stokke.
Firefighter Mike Cook said they were a bit alarmed when folks began lining up around the corner, but no one left with an empty stomach! Photo by Larry Stokke.