INSIDE: Year-End Reports on Activities From our Board of Directors, Aspiring Educators, NDU-Retired, ESPs, Big Wins in Advocacy & Professional Development, Plus Profiles of 2025 ND Teacher of the Year & Finalists
Hello, friends!
It is my pleasure to welcome each of you to the NDU Year in Review! Like you, those of us at North Dakota United often get so busy that we do not take the opportunity to fully appreciate what we have accomplished over the course of this past year. In this Year in Review issue, we want to highlight the important work we have done on behalf of you, our cherished members.
We Are Stronger When We Work Together
I know that NDU Executive Director Chad Oban is prepared to write about one such accomplishment: our decisive victory in defeating Measure 4 on the November ballot. What impressed me most about this fight, though, is that it was an enterprise-wide effort involving our staff, leadership and NDU’s Board of Directors. Oban and Ali Hoffman, NDU’s political director, led the way in assembling an amazing coalition of 113 organizations from across the state to oppose M4. It is amazing what can be accomplished when the NEA, AFT and NDU work together to achieve a common goal.
By Nick Archuleta, ND United President
The 69th Legislative Assembly convenes in about a month, and we are expecting significant challenges. We will call on each of you to stand with us as we fight to amplify your voice in matters that impact your career in public service. Thank you all for all you do and will do, in service to our friends and neighbors across North Dakota.
Past Success Will Help Set Strategy for Future Fights
By Chad Oban, ND United Executive Director
Welcome to the 2024 Year in Review publication! Why a year in review? Well, because our team feels that one of the most important duties of our member communications efforts is to be talking more about the great things that are happening in our union. This annual review will provide us with a chance to celebrate the work we are all doing and look ahead to the battles we have ahead.
Last year was an interesting one for North Dakota United, which was punctuated by the overwhelming defeat of Measure 4. If it were not for the efforts of our members and staff of ND United, M4 may have passed, and we would be looking ahead to a legislative session cutting $3.15 billion in K-12, state and county budgets, and higher education. While we defeated that measure, it does not mean the upcoming session and local bargaining will be made any easier. We will need to stand up for our schools against efforts to divert public funds to private schools. We will need to fight to make sure the promises made to all of our public employees in retirement are being kept; to stand up for tenure rights in higher ed; and to make sure every kid has universal free meals. The list could go on and on!
The only way we do that is through activating and growing our union! Thank you for your membership, and I am so proud to work for the members of ND United!
The Start of Something New in NDU Communications
United Voices Goes All-Digital
As you may remember, we announced earlier this year in the summer edition of United Voices magazine that our union would be transitioning the official member publication of ND United into alldigital format. Starting in September of 2024, with the release of Vol. 11, No. 1, of United Voices, we are hosting all of the great content you’ve come to expect from us on our website at www.ndunited.org/united-voices.
We’d like to urge all of our members to go check out the UV page on our website by typing the URL into your Internet browser or by scanning this QR code with your smart device:
Check out past issues of United Voices, read individual articles by topics, and you can also sign up to receive each quarterly issue, plus weekly UV+ electronic newsletters centered on issues such as Professional Development, NDU member stories and issues in the news, Member Benefits and our monthly President’s Post email from NDU President Nick Archuleta.
Scan QR code to check out the United Voices page on our website! www.ndunited.org/united-voices
Welcome to our first-ever edition of the North Dakota United 2024 Year in Review special publication! Here, at the start, we hoped to take a moment to explain what YIR is, and what our intentions are in putting it together as a print publication, and sending to our members.
Year in Review Special Issue
Starting with this issue, ND United is proud to announce that we will be sending out an annual Year in Review print publication for FREE, as part of your membership in North Dakota United! As our Executive Director Chad Oban said in his welcome column, we feel it’s important that all of us in our union share out the stories of what we’re able to accomplish by working together as members of ND United.
Take a look through this inaugural issue of NDU Year in Review, and you’ll find articles detailing the successes and lessons learned within the different departments and membership categories of our union. We have included Year in Review pieces on NDU Governance, Budget Breakdown, Advocacy and Political Efforts, Professional Development, Education Support Professionals, Aspiring Educators and the NDU Foundation. In addition, we have stories about this year’s presentation of the 2025 ND Teacher of the Year, and individual profile articles on the four finalists for this year’s award.
Thank you for reading this first edition of Year in Review and all our past issues of United Voices magazine. We hope you enjoy them, and thank you again for being a member of North Dakota United!
Governance: Year in Review
On behalf of the ND United Board of Directors, welcome to our Year in Review! As Board members, it is our honor and privilege to represent the many constituencies of public employees that constitute North Dakota United. We work extremely hard to learn from those we represent and make sure your concerns are brought to the fore as we plan for the future of our organization.
We wanted to lift up several of the highlights from our work over the past year:
Concluding our three-year Strategic Plan and setting course for next three years
At the 2022 Delegate Assembly, we shared – and delegates approved – our Three-Year Strategic Plan that ensured our union was focused on expanding the foundation of our professional development program, ensuring North Dakota United continues to be the most powerful voice for public-service professionals, and growing the membership of ND United to ensure we have the power to win what we need for our students, our communities and our families. We are proud of the work every member of ND United has done to help us move forward during the last three years, and we are excited to start the process anew in 2025.
Promoting our AutoPay program to protect our rights to be members
Across the country, anti-public education and anti-public service politicians are working to weaken our union by changing how we collect dues. Eleven states have already made this change and eliminated the option to use payroll deduction.
In those states, instead of spending time advocating for what they need in their classrooms and communities, members have been forced to scramble to retain their collective power.
That’s why we are being proactive and encouraging members to protect their membership by enrolling in our AutoPay system. Over 55% of our members have already enrolled in AutoPay, and it just takes a couple of minutes to enroll.
Creating a new Community Ally membership
As the attacks on public education and public service have increased, it has become even more important for us to reach out to our supporters in the community to build a strong coalition. We have begun recruitment for the Community Ally membership option, which allows anyone interested in supporting public education and public services to stand with us for a $40 yearly contribution. This membership is perfect for those who want to strengthen their communities and ensure access to essential services. Our Community Ally members will also be a crucial part of our ongoing fight against using public dollars for private education, and so many more campaigns on the horizon.
With that said, we hope you enjoy this Year in Review as it provides an excellent opportunity for us to share the challenges and triumphs we have experienced in this past year, and how our work connects to you and your colleagues who do the work of serving our communities.
‘Shaping Futures, One Lesson at a Time’
By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Director
Kendall Bergrud, a math teacher from Wachter Middle School in Bismarck, was named the 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year at a ceremony held in Memorial Hall in the state Capitol on Sept. 27.
“Our Teacher of the Year program celebrates individual teachers, but it also praises the work of all of our educators,” said Kirsten Baesler, ND Superintendent of Public Instruction, at the announcement of the 2025 ND Teacher of the Year during a ceremony at the state Capitol on Friday, Sept. 27. “The purpose of this award, of this recognition in its origination was to lift up not only individuals who are teachers, but to lift up the teaching profession and encourage North Dakotans to give education the respect and status it deserves.”
This year’s finalists – Kendall Bergrud, a math teacher from Wachter Middle School in Bismarck; Macie Harris-Nelson, a music teacher for Kenmare
Teacher
Elementary; Ashley Nudell, who teaches family and consumer science at Lisbon High School; and Kayla Tatro, who teaches English, math, science, music and technology for Roosevelt Public School in Carson – are shining examples of all the amazing work that goes on in classrooms all across our state. But there can be only one winner, so it was Baesler’s honor to let a crowded Memorial Hall know who the North Dakota Teacher of the Year was for 2025.
“I don’t have an envelope to open,” Baesler said, “We’re not the Oscars, but I will just come right out and announce that the 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year is Mr. Kendall Bergrud, of Bismarck.”
Continued on next page.
From left, Gov. Doug Burgum, Macie Harris-Nelson, Kayla Tatro, Kendall Bergrud, Ashley Nudell and Superintendent Kirsten Baesler.
Teacher of the Year
Kirsten Baesler ND Superintendent of Public Instruction
Sara
Medalen, 2020 ND Teacher of the Year
Sheila Peterson, 2024 ND Teacher of the Year
Continued from previous page.
“As this whole journey started, my greatest fear was having to stand up front and give a speech,” Bergrud said in his acceptance speech. “My expertise is speaking to middle school students, which is a challenge in itself. I kept telling myself, you can speak in front of middle schoolers. There’s no reason why you can’t speak in front of a crowd of adults.”
Beyond the group that was assembled in the Capitol on that day, which included his fellow finalists, their friends and families, former state Teachers of the Year, Gov. Doug Burgum, several Bismarck legislators, and a contingent of students from Wachter, Bergrud sent special praise to all his fellow educators. “I am honored and humbled to be standing here today,” he said, “but every educator in North Dakota deserves this honor. As I am not above the rest of you, as I know how hard each and every educator works across the state.”
Governor Burgum thanked all our state’s educators in his remarks as well, saying, “To all the teachers across the state, I say thank you for supporting lifelong learning. Because you’re teaching our students to keep an open mind and to be curious at every age, and this will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
Sara Medalen, a Title I reading and math instructor from Minot and the 2020 ND Teacher of the Year, spoke on behalf of ND United and President Nick Archuleta. In her remarks, Medalen shared several hilarious stories she’d collected from this year’s finalists of the “everyday joys of teaching that really just don’t happen in any other profession,” after sharing one of her own.
“It’s not just academic moments, but the moments of joy, the moments of
Gov. Doug Burgum
hilarity,” Medalen said. “The moments when teachers look at each other and say, ‘You just can’t make this stuff up!’ Like this week at my school, when a student brought a dead squirrel to school in his backpack for Show & Share. You can’t make that up. Seriously, we say things in this profession that you would never hear in any other workplace like, ‘No, honey! Stop! It’s glue stick, not lipstick.’ ‘Stop licking your shoe!’ ‘Why is your toe in your ear?’”
Medalen closed her remarks by thanking Governor Burgum, Superintendent Baesler and North Dakota United for
Teacher of the Year
uplifting, supporting and recognizing teachers, and sent a special dedication to our four finalists. “Ashley, Kayla, Macie and our 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Kendall, you are inspirational,” she said. “Congratulations. Keep shining bright. North Dakota needs your light.”
North Dakota’s 2024 Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson is also an educator at Wachter in Bismarck, and worked diligently with Bergrud in building their school’s Peer to Peer program that launched just a few years ago. During her speech, Peterson pointed out that a group of
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Kendall Bergrud receives the 2025 ND Teacher of the Year award from Superintendent Baesler, while 2024 ND Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson, his colleague at Wachter Middle School, supports him.
students who were seated in the front row at the ceremony were all wearing special t-shirts they had made in honor of their favorite teacher.
“This is how much they love this guy,” Peterson said, as she asked the students to turn around and show everyone their shirts with Bergrud’s photos printed on them. “We were on our Peer to Peer bus last year, going on a field trip, and our kids were allowed to have cell phones because we had to be able to be in contact with them all over the Pumpkin Patch with 90 kids. And I look and these kids are taking like little snaps of Mr. Bergrud
and I’m like, ‘What are you guys doing? And they’re like, well, we’ve got a Bergrud Snapchat account. … They had Snaps of him eating his lunch. He wears these things we call ‘pepper steppers.’ When he gets upset when he’s coaching, he pepper steps, and they’ve got pictures of the pepper stepping.”
Peterson said the Snapchat account and t-shirts were symbolic of how much they adore Mr. Bergrud. “These kids love him so much that you can’t get them out of their room,” she said. “And he’s going to be that story for you guys and how you guys carry your life. The things
Kendall Bergrud stands with five of his students, who had special t-shirts made in his honor.
Continued from previous page.
that he’s taught you will always be instilled in who you are, and that’s why it was so important to me that I wanted them to be a part of this day, because you are going to be a part of them for the rest of their lives.”
Bergrud closed the ceremony with a few remarks after being presented with this year’s award and the traveling trophy that is adorned with the names of each year’s winner since 1963. He took the opportunity to praise all our state’s educators and to offer them this challenge: “As teacher leaders, I ask you this question,” Bergrud said. “What are you doing to create a movement in your school or even across the state to impact North Dakota students? We have the ability to start a movement and make a
Teacher of the Year
difference in the lives of not just one student, but all students.”
He closed his remarks and the ceremony by reminding both educators and students just how important the work they are doing now is for the future of everyone. “To my fellow teachers and leaders, remember that the impact we make goes beyond the classroom,” Bergrud said. “We’re shaping futures, one lesson at a time. To our students, know that your potential is limitless. Embrace challenges, seek knowledge, and never stop dreaming. Here’s to many more moments of learning and growing for ourselves and our students. Great educators make an impact that lasts a lifetime. Thank you.”
The moment when Kendall Bergrud was announced as the 2025 ND Teacher of the Year.
Kendall Bergrud, a math teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck, seems to have a quality to him where people are naturally drawn to him. They feel comfortable in his presence and trust him enough to talk to them about their lives.
“I have a lot of people ask, ‘How do you build relationships in your classroom?’” Bergrud said. “‘How do you make those connections?’ And I don’t have an answer. … When I was teaching elementary school … at the end of the day, 3:05, kids want to go home. Nope, I had a group that wanted to stay in my classroom and chitchat. I don’t know what it is. It’s just that natural connection that I have with kids.”
That connection was on display at the 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year ceremony at the state Capitol on Sept. 27, 2024, when Bergrud was named this year’s recipient. And in the audience, five of Bergrud’s students showed up, wearing t-shirts with Mr. Bergrud’s visage silkscreened on them.
“They came with those shirts made,” Bergrud said. “I think they just have that feeling that I’m their champion. I want them to be successful. And I think they just know that I’m going to hold them to high standards, but also be there if they need it. I will go up to bat for them at any time that they need it.”
Relationships Key to Bergrud’s Teaching Philosophy
By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Director
Bergrud first started his journey as an educator in Bismarck, where he grew up and now teaches. “I guess when I was in kindergarten, I came home one day, I told my parents I wanted to be a teacher, and I guess that that stuck,” he said. “I think my parents were the biggest supporters. They were like, yep, keep doing this. You got this. You’re going to make a difference.”
He got his bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Dickinson State University, and began teaching at Lincoln Elementary, first as a Learning Academy teacher, then teaching fourth and fifth grades. In August of 2022, he moved over to Wachter, where he teaches both math and Peer to Peer.
Bergrud is also a big believer in building trust relationships with parents. “As an educator, that is one of my goals is, how can I get connected with families, sooner rather than later?” he said. “We’re a team. We’re trying to have the best intentions, the best ideas to make the students successful. … But I also think reaching out to them, building those connections, building that relationship, they build that trust (in you). And they know that you want the absolute best for their child, and they’re going to support you, any way they can, to make sure that it’s successful for both you as the educator, as well as the student.”
Harris-Nelson Helps Students Feel They Can ‘Do Hard Things’
By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Director
When Macie Harris-Nelson, the music teacher for kindergarten through fifth grade at Kenmare Public Schools, wants to inspire her students, she has a motto she likes to use, which she got from a teacher who inspired her while growing up. And like any good piece of music, it is a phrase that can be adapted to fit any tempo, style or arrangement, as needed.
“I tell my students all the time, ‘You can do hard things,’” Harris-Nelson said. “You just have to put forth the effort and try. … I think back to one of my favorite teachers who really pushed me, inspired me by setting high expectations and really just seeing I had potential to do things that were hard and made me realize, okay, this is something I want to do for others as well.”
Harris-Nelson was one of four finalists for the 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year award, after being named the Ward County Teacher of the Year. She was also honored with the Excellence in Holistic Education Award in 2024, for the outstanding work she’s done to incorporate socialemotional learning into her work as a music educator.
“Music is social,” she said. “Music is emotional. I said, I can bring that into the music education world. And that’s what I did from day one, three and a half years ago. I just brought that those literacy pieces, those writing pieces, the social-emotional learning pieces, and kind of integrated it into the music education program here at Kenmare.”
Harris-Nelson admits to occasionally having feelings of “imposter syndrome, since she doesn’t have a background in music education. She grew up in Kenmare, then got bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from the University of Mary, in Bismarck. Her career in education started as a kindergarten teacher at Northridge Elementary, also in Bismarck. After six years there, she became engaged to marry her now-husband, Clay, who is a rancher in Kenmare, and made the decision to move back home.
When she searched online for available positions in education, the only available opportunity was teaching music. “I had so much doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear of failure,” she said. “I remember being so nervous and Googling ‘singing lessons,’ ‘piano lessons,’ ‘ukelele lessons,’ anything to help me become proficient in this area of education or provide that I knew what I was doing.”
Fast-forward to three years later, and Harris-Nelson has all the proof anyone could ask for that she does, in fact, know what she is doing. “I do struggle with that imposter syndrome,” she said, “but it’s been great because I’m so confident in my social-emotional teaching, and the aspects of that, (which) I bring into this program here. So, to be recognized as somebody that just took a leap of faith to do something out of their comfort zone, that has really changed my life as a person.”
It’s been said that education is the profession that creates all other professions. Ashley Nudell, the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) teacher at Lisbon Public Schools, is proof positive of how true this saying is.
“Family and Consumer Science education, specifically, it’s probably one of the most rewarding and impactful careers that you can pursue,” Nudell said. “You’re not only influencing students’ soft skills, but you’re influencing their future families and their financial decisions and helping to create a whole person rather than focusing on just one subject. You’re giving students those valuable life skills to thrive in an unknown world and teaching them how to be adaptable.”
Nudell, the 2024 Ransom County Teacher of the Year and a finalist for 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year, is truly passionate about the FCS curriculum and courses she teaches, along with her work as the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) advisor for Lisbon. So, it’s perhaps fitting that a member of her family was one of the first educators in her life to inspire her to one day become an FCS teacher.
“I grew up on a fifth-generation family farm near Ayr,” she said. “My aunt was a preschool teacher, and she had a really profound impact on me. Especially as I got older, and I was able to kind of see from the opposite side of the things that she did in the classroom with her student, and the impact and grace that she was able to
Nudell Teaches Science of Strong Family Support
By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Director
show students at such a young age.”
After graduating from Tower City High School, Pudell went on to North Dakota State University and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Family and Consumer Science Education. She started as the FCS teacher for Lisbon in August 2019, and has worked diligently since then to develop curriculum that promotes student engagement and career readiness, and provide pathways for students to become well-rounded and capable adults.
When asked if there is a program that she started at Lisbon of which she is particularly proud, Nudell cited an entrepreneurship course that she teaches. “Throughout this course, I am able to provide several opportunities where students interact with the community while reinforcing technical skills taught throughout financial literacy and food processing units,” she said. “The goal of this unit is for students to utilize business principles while fostering community engagement and social responsibility.”
Nudell said she is grateful for the wholehearted support she has received from the families and close-knit community within Lisbon for allowing her the freedom to experiment with innovative approaches. “I have amazing parental support at my school, and I also think that I’m very lucky to have an amazing family that supports me in any crazy thing that I want to do within my classroom.”
Staying Busy as a Teacher Not a Problem for Tatro
By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Director
In small towns, educators often must “wear a lot of hats.” Having grown up in small-town North Dakota, Kayla Tatro likely knew this. And now, as a teacher at Roosevelt Public School in Carson, she definitely knows.
“I teach fifth- through eighth-grade English, and then I teach (grades) five and six music and technology,” Tatro said. “I also teach seventh- and eighth-grade math and science.”
Tatro wears a few more hats lately, having been named Grant County Teacher of the Year for 2024, and then becoming a finalist for 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year.
“I was nominated for Grant County Teacher of the Year,” Tatro said, “and I was really honored that somebody thought enough of me to nominate me for that award.”
She said she almost didn’t apply for the state award, because of the extensive application form. “But I figured somebody thought enough of me to nominate me for county Teacher of the Year. I’m just going to go for it. So, when I got the call the summer that I was a finalist, I was totally surprised because our state is just filled with amazing educators.”
Tatro has been both industrious and a North Dakotan her whole life. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s from Minot State University, and her first teaching position was in Glen Ullin, where she taught sixth grade. “I was there for three years, and then
a position opened up here,” she said. Carson had just two teachers for their junior high, so Tatro and her colleague split up courses based on their areas of expertise. She taught English and social studies classes.
Her first year of teaching in Carson was in 2019-20, which ended abruptly in March when COVID closed schools across the state. When they came back in the fall, the other junior high teacher didn’t return, and the position was left unfilled for three years.
“For three years, I was the only junior high teacher,” Tatro said. “We figured out how to split up all that extra stuff between the staff members. Our kindergarten teacher took on junior high science, our principal took on some math, and we just kind of split up and figured out who can cover what. Last year, we were able to hire someone finally.”
While teaching in a small school district can mean having to stretch yourself a bit thin, Tatro fully acknowledges that it brings with it many more benefits. “We have a really supportive community,” Tatro said. “I felt that growing up, and I still feel that today. …
I feel really appreciative to all those people and that I got to grow up in a small community and I get to teach in my home community and try my best to give these students a good education.”
Education Support Professionals: Year in Review
Schools across North Dakota and throughout the United States are kept running by the diligent efforts of hard-working individuals known as Education Support Professionals. Women and men working in a wide array of career categories, including paraeducators, food service, health, security, transportation, custodial and maintenance, technology and communications, play vital roles in keeping students safe, healthy and excited about learning.
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that ESP members of ND United bring that same work ethic and determination into their work as advocates and representatives for their noble professions. 2024 was an especially busy year for our ESP Advisory Committee (ESPAC). Here are a few highlights from this past year:
Two members of ESPAC – Julie Hetland, of Fargo, and Barb DuBord, of Kindred – attended the NEA ESP National Conference in March, which was held in Las Vegas.
Our 2024 NDU ESP Conference also provided our members with a range of professional development sessions on topics including: Mitigating Secondary Traumatic Stress, True Colors Personality Test, Introduction to Restorative Practices, Behavioral Management, and a special ESP Roundtable.
The annual NDU ESP of the Year award had a record number of nominations in 2024, and for the first time in the program’s history, three finalists were named ahead of the announcement of the overall winner. Dustin Brunner, a paraprofessional at Central Middle School in Devils Lake; Julie Eiler, lead paraeducator at Fargo North High School; and Laurie Mahrer, a speech language pathology assistant at Custer Elementary in Mandan were all celebrated at ceremonies held in their respective schools during the spring. Mahrer was selected by our ESPAC as 2024 ESP of the Year, and she received her award with a rousing speech during the NDU ESP Conference in April, which was held in conjunction with Delegate Assembly in Bismarck.
ESP Professional Development book studies were launched this year, starting with pilot programs in Bismarck and Fargo during the spring, and a second round in both cities this fall. The program’s objective is to engage ESPs in relevant coursework with the goal of developing and enhancing skills that will help to strengthen their professional abilities in the important roles they fill.
Aspiring Educators: Year in Review
Student North Dakota United (SNDU) provides aspiring educators with assistance, benefits, and professional resources to empower the next generation of educators through national networking opportunities, innovative projects and engaging events.
This year, 15 aspiring educators from across the state gathered for SNDU’s 2024 Welcome Weekend on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Bismarck. There, they developed mock campaign plans to advocate for paid student teaching locally and statewide. They also participated in a Q&A panel with early- and mid-career educators, among other things.
Members also represented their colleagues at the 2024 NEA Aspiring Educators Conference in Philadelphia, PA. NDU is only allowed one voting member, but NDU funded the trip for four students and one chapter advisor. They attended sessions on professional development and leadership, explored pressing issues in public education, and built connections with aspiring educators from across the country.
Membership in SNDU also saw some encouraging growth this year. Between November 2023 and November 2024, statewide membership increased to 63, marking a 14.5% gain.
As we celebrate these milestones, SNDU continues their commitment to provide meaningful opportunities to aspiring educators from across the state for growth, advocacy and collaboration.
Aspiring Educators creating protest art at the NEA Conference for Racial and Social Justice.
SNDU was represented this year at the 2024 NEA Aspiring Educators Conference in Philadelphia by four students and one chapter advisor. They were, in the photo above, from left to right: Jared Adams, NDU organizer; Abigail Sitter, Minot State University (MSU) student; Faith Reyes, Dickinson State University (DSU) student; Talissa Fischbach, DSU student; Alexander (AJ) Gorthy, MSU student; Sarah Crossingham, DSU chapter advisor; and Taylor Toso, NDU organizer.
North Dakota
United-Retired
(NDU-R) had a busy, fulfilling time in 2024!
In April, the NDU-Retired Advisory Board met for their annual convening to plan work for the year ahead. They were joined by 2024 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson for a wonderful session of learning and idea sharing. The next day, the Advisory Board joined other NDU-R delegates at the NDU Delegate Assembly.
We were thrilled to partner with Fargo and West Fargo’s local education associations for their retirement celebrations this spring. NDU-R promoted membership while assisting the locals with the cost of the events, thanks to funding from the NEA-Retired organizing grant. We are again hoping to partner with locals for retirement celebrations in 2025 – please watch for communication from us early in the year!
NDU-R hosted a social event to share our work and promote membership during the North Dakota United Summer Advocacy & Leadership Summit in July in Bismarck. Members also attended the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and NEA Representative Assembly in July in Philadelphia.
NDU-Retired also launched an e-newsletter this year, to compliment the biannual printed newsletter. In addition to the printed newsletters that arrive in members’ mailboxes each winter and summer, NDU-R members will now also receive e-newsletters in April, June, October, and December.
Stay tuned for more exciting plans for our North Dakota United-Retired members in 2025!
And REMEMBER ... WE ARE RETIRED BUT ACTIVE AND ENERGIZED!
North Dakota United-Retired Advisory Board members:
Karen Askerooth, President
Gale Haug, Vice President
Deb Johnson, Secretary
JoNell Bakke, Northeast Member
Linda Benson, Public Employee Member
Mary Carlson, Northwest Member
Dakota Draper, Southeast Member
Toni Gumeringer, Southwest Member
Bill Klimpel, Public Employee Member
As a union, our strength comes from our organized people and organized resources. Each and every member of North Dakota United voluntarily contributes to ensure we are a strong and united front for our classrooms, our workplaces, and our communities. Our elected board, managers and staff at North Dakota United take our charge to steward these resources effectively and efficiently to achieve our goals.
At the 2024 Delegate Assembly, our annual meeting where elected delegates from our locals set the direction for the coming fiscal year (Sept. 1, 2024-Aug. 31, 2025) delegates from across the state approved our budget with the revenue and expense categories that you can see here.
A couple of items that we would like to draw attention to in the overview:
■ Our national affiliates, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, are projected to have invested more than $1 million in grant funds to our state this past year. In addition, both NEA and AFT contributed close to $1 million for our successful efforts with the Keep It Local coalition to defeat Measure 4. Every year, ND United has regularly applied for and received valuable grant funding from our national affiliates that helps bolster our union’s capacity for success in school district contract negotiations, organizing, member communications and public relations, and advocating for all our members’ rights as public servants and educators.
■ We have a staff that is second to none across the country and that is where we spend the overwhelming majority of our resources. These expenses help ensure that every local has access to the support and expertise they need to succeed, whether that is collectively at the bargaining table or expanding membership to ensure we have the power to earn better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
Professional Development: Year in Review
North Dakota United empowers educators with high-quality, researchbased professional development programs designed to inspire growth and enhance classroom success.
New this year, Podcast PD offers educators the flexibility to learn on their own schedules. With six different podcasts to choose from, participants can explore sessions that relate to their professional
interests. Each session requires a reflection paper and seven sessions and reflections equal one credit. Participants can mix and match podcasts to meet the requirements for credit.
This year, the six podcasts that can be used for credit are the following:
■ Sold a Story (Science of Reading based) Podcast
■ The Educator’s Room: The Teacher Self-Care Podcast
■ Those Who Can’t Do Podcast
■ The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast
■ The Creative Class with John Spence Podcast
■ Too Dope Teachers Podcast
So far this school year, we’ve had 135 registrations for Podcast PD. The NDU Foundation covers registration fees for NDU members, which would otherwise $50 per registration. At the time of writing, members have registered for 890 courses through NDU PD since the start of the school year, which means the NDU Foundation has saved members $44,500. That puts us right on track to keep pace with 2023-24’s savings, when the NDU Foundation saved members $110,250.
Book studies remain a cornerstone of NDU’s professional development offerings, covering topics from artificial intelligence to boosting
creativity to social-emotional learning. In 2023-24, a total of 1,830 registrations demonstrates educators’ enthusiasm for book studies with NDU.
The Early Career Educator Cohorts, designed for members in the first seven years of their careers, combine professional growth with networking opportunities. In 2023-24, members registered for 297 spots, earning credits while building connections with peers.
With a variety of flexible, affordable and impactful options, NDU’s professional development programs continue to support educators in achieving their goals.
NDU Offers Cohorts to Early Career Educators
By Joel Crane, NDU Press Secretary
For educators in the first few years of their careers, professional development can be costly and time consuming.
“I wanted to make more money. It’s tough to spend my own money so that I can make more money,” said Rebecca Helbling, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Liberty Middle School in West Fargo.
That’s why North Dakota United offers the Early Career Educator Cohort: a flexible and affordable professional development opportunity for new educators. All NDU professional development courses are free to NDU members through July 31, 2025. Participants are responsible for the cost of the required book and the $50 credit fee to UND to have your credit recorded onto your transcript. The fee to participate in an NDU professional development course for non-members is $100, plus the cost of the book and the $50 credit fee to UND. However, through this program, educators in the first seven years of their careers will have all these fees covered by NDU. This coverage saves members more than $400 for the six credits they can earn, while nonmembers would have to pay around $1,000 for those same six credits, in fees and book costs, making the cohort an affordable solution to essential (but otherwise costly) professional growth.
In her sixth year of teaching special education at Mandan High School, Alexis Rassett jumped at the opportunity to meet her PD requirements without bearing the typical financial burden.
Both Helbling and Rassett made lane changes with their PD credits. Rassett, who leveraged the cohort and other NDU courses, quickly
earned enough credits to boost her salary. “Within two years, two lane changes, that’s a significant amount of money,” she said.
Rebecca needed 11 credits to make a lane change and was searching for affordable options. “Now I can have more pay in the future in my career and I set myself up for success later,” Helbling said.
Beyond financial benefits, the Cohort brings together educators from various grade levels and specialties –elementary, middle and high school teachers, and both general and special education instructors.
“It was nice being able to have exchanges with regular ed teachers versus, you know, with me working in special education and being able to help each other with how to work with those kids. It’s just created some really good conversations in the discussions,” Rassett said.
These conversations help educators share solutions, workshop new approaches, and connect through shared experiences, something Helbling found particularly valuable.
“It felt like there were more ideas than I expected,” she said.
The Early Educator Cohort is available for ND United members in their first seven years of teaching. Thirty educators are admitted to each cohort, which begin each January and June. Email amy.flicek@ ndunited.org for more information.
Rebecca Helbling Alexis Rassett
Foundation: Year in Review
The purpose of the North Dakota United Foundation is to promote educational excellence and quality public service in North Dakota. The Foundation’s goal is to aid educators, public servants, and students in achieving greater educational success.
The Foundation accomplishes this by offering specifically designed and administered grants and scholarships to individual educators, public servants, and college students designed to enhance their skills. In addition, the Foundation administers funds for the Minot Education Association’s Fund for the Improvement of Education and the Oakes Education Scholarship Fund.
It is with pride that the Foundation’s Board of Directors has established this special alliance with education and public service leaders who understand that their professional growth is the key to success.
NDU Foundation Board of Directors:
Lisa Wolf, Foundation President, Educator, Active member, Minot Nick Archuleta, NDU President, Mandan
Karen Askerooth, Foundation Secretary, NDU-Retired President, Luverne Alicia Bata, NDU Vice President K-12, Cavalier
Bret Dockter, Educator, Active member, Harvey Gary Feist, Foundation Treasurer, NDU Vice President Public Employees, Bismarck Sarah Fox, Educator, Active member, Mandan
Clarice Hackman, NDSU Library staff, Active member, Fargo Derrick Hertz, CFO Railway Credit Union, General Public member, Mandan Jason Rohrer, Horace Mann agent, General Public member, Minot Brenda Seehafer, Foundation Vice President, NEA Director, Rolla Josh Standing Elk, Educator, Active member, Bismarck
Teacher of the Year Events:
The North Dakota United Foundation proudly partnered with the North Dakota State Teachers of the Year Chapter to offer a Day of Professional Learning for former Teachers of the Year and finalists in April on the Capitol grounds. The day provided Teachers of the Year with an opportunity to network, share best practices, and provide feedback to the Governor’s Task Force on Teacher Retention and Recruitment. In addition, an inaugural Celebratory Luncheon was held in September for the 2025 ND Teacher of the Year finalists, their friends and families, former Teachers of the Year, and partnering organizations before the announcement ceremony. These events were sponsored by a variety of businesses across the state.
Giving Hearts Day:
Giving Hearts Day is a regional online giving event which raises funds for charities in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota every year in February. One hundred twenty-four individuals, many of whom were non-members and businesses, contributed $8,768.75 which was matched for a total revenue of $17,537.50. The revenue was credited to the endowments selected by the donor. If no endowment was selected, the gifts were credited to the NDU Memorial Endowment.
Scholarships and Grants:
The North Dakota United Foundation currently offers scholarships and grants specifically designed for individual educators, public servants, and college students to enhance their skills. Scholarships are available to North Dakota United members, including Student NDU and NDU-Retired members, as well as the dependents of all members. Seventeen scholarships and grants were available in 2024, including four new offerings:
■ Holland Family Experiential Learning Grant – Available to assist members engaged in developing and/or presenting experiential learning to improve public service or public education in North Dakota. Preference will be given to experiential learning involving North Dakota studies.
■ Dr. Joanne Pearson Fine Arts Grant – Available for an individual member or a group of members to enhance arts at the elementary or secondary level, support professional development, and/ or support student activities in the arts including, but not limited
Professional Development:
Promoting educational excellence through professional development has been a long-term goal of the NDU Foundation. With the dedication of fifty percent of the special assessment paid by NDU members to professional development, the Foundation was able to partner with the Professional Development team at NDU to provide quality coursework at no cost to NDU members in 2024.
At the date of publication, for the 2024-25 cycle there are 1,199 registrations for NDU professional development offerings including 60+ book studies, Podcast PD, ESP book study, Educator Ethics, Aspiring Educator courses, negotiations trainings and book study, and independent studies.
to painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, cinema, music, and theater.
■ Fern Pokorny Education Scholarship – Available to a student pursuing an undergraduate degree in elementary education from Dickinson State University. The student must be a graduate of a North Dakota high school.
■ Harris & Arlyce Widmer Family Business Education Scholarship –
Available to an active NDU member or dependent of an active member who is pursuing undergraduate or graduate education, or professional development opportunities in business education.
In May, the North Dakota United Foundation announced that over 50 NDU members and dependents had been selected to receive more than $37,000 total in scholarships and grants. Scholarships are open December 1st through March 31st, and grants are awarded year-round on a rolling application basis. For more information on 2024 recipients and to apply, please visit: ndunited.org/foundation/ scholarships-and-grants. Foundation: Year in Review
Local Educational Association Scholarship Programs:
■ Ray Education Association created a scholarship program to honor deserving seniors in the community. This no-cost service provided by the NDU Foundation is available to all local education associations in the state.
■ The Robert and Jane Lorch Family Education Endowment was established to benefit seniors attending Hillsboro High School. The Hillsboro Education Association is responsible for selecting recipients for this scholarship.
North Dakota United Delegate Assembly
The 2024 Delegate Assembly, held on April 20, 2024 in Bismarck, was a focused and energetic affair focused on the ongoing attacks from the anti-public education and anti-public service politicians and the necessity of our members to unite together to protect our professions, our students, and our communities.
The morning included reports and remarks from President Nick Archuleta, NEA Director Brenda Seehafer, and Executive Director Chad Oban. All three shared appreciation for tremendous work our members do every day in communities across North Dakota and challenged all members to reach out in their workplaces and communities to build the power that we need to win collectively.
In addition to the inspiring remarks, the morning also included an indepth budget conversation about our resources needed to address the challenges headed our way. Delegates ultimately passed a budget that invests in our three strategic priorities (Professional Development, Advocacy and Growth) and will ensure we can focus on the key opportunities and challenges ahead.
Delegates also heard from Superintendent of Public Instruction and longtime North Dakota United member Kirsten Baesler about the challenges and successes of our state’s great public
school system. Business items, Bylaw Amendments, and elections for NDU’s Board of Directors and NEA Representative Assembly delegates were held.
In the afternoon, delegates heard a challenging presentation from former Bismarck State College President Larry Skogen about the troubling history of Native American education in our country.
North Dakota United presented the Friend of Public Employees and the Friend of Public Education Awards to two well-deserved recipients. Sen. Karen Krebsbach of Minot won the Friend of Public Employees Award for her decades of advocacy for state employees, including being a key champion in our fight to protect the defined benefit pension. Longtime North Dakota United/NDEA legal counsel Mike Geiermann received the Friend of Public Education Award for decades of service to the members of our great union and his tireless dedication to the rights and dignity of educators and working people.
Sen. Karen Krebsbach
Mike Geiermann
North Dakota United Delegate Assembly
North Dakota United members listening during presentations at 2024 Delegate Assembly.
2025 NDU Election and Delegate Assembly Update
As of publication, petitions have been requested for the following NDU offices:
■ President, requested by Nick Archuleta
■ Vice President-Education and NEA RA delegate, requested by Alicia D. Bata
■ Vice President-Public Employees, requested by Gary Feist
■ NEA Director and NEA RA Delegate, requested by Kala Christensen
The election of officers will be held during the NDU Delegate Assembly, the annual meeting of the association. The Assembly is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2025 at ND’s Gateway to Science (NDGTS), 1600 Canary Avenue, Bismarck. Local delegate allocation and registration information will be sent to local presidents by email in early February.
The 2025 NEA Representative Assembly will be held July 2-6 in Portland, Oregon. There are 14 positions open for NEA RA state delegates. Election of NEA RA Delegates will be held by an every-member ballot.
For more information or to request a petition for NDU office and/or NEA RA Delegate, contact Ellie Sharbono at ellie.sharbono@ ndunited.org.
Nominating petitions require 50 signatures of active members and must be returned by February 18, 2025. Active members include all NDU membership categories except K-12 substitute members, Retired and Aspiring Educator (student) members. The retired and student officers are elected by their constituencies.
Thank You Local Presidents
A heartfelt thank you to all of our local presidents! Our local presidents give their time and energy constantly to make sure our local unions are united and continue to lift up the needs of our members and our communities. Whether you are new to the role or have been in the leadership of your local for decades, thank you.
Nick Archuleta, North Dakota United President
North Dakota Local Education Association Presidents:
Karissa Gahner, Anamoose
Amy Klein, Apple Creek
Tucker Meidinger, Ashley
Krista Amann, Barnes County North
Loni Thilmony, Beach
Jason Laducer, Belcourt
Ericka Hutzenbiler, Belfield
Amanda Lorenz, Beulah
Mathew Larson, Billings County
David Augustadt, Bismarck
Leah Brooks, Bottineau
Cyle Golde, Bowbells
Amanda Rafferty, Bowman County
Alison Howatt, Burke Central
Teresa Pierson, Carrington
Kayla Tatro, Carson
Autumn Bennett, Cavalier
Brooke Boeshans, Center-Stanton
Dana Stansbery, Central Cass
Tait Simonson, Central Valley
Tyrell Rose, Dakota Prairie
Angela Froseth, Des Lacs United
Courtney Klein, Devils Lake
Shawna Knipp, Dickinson
Rhonda Weathers, Divide County
Joan Birdsell, Drake
Matthew Rarick, Drayton
Robin Hill, Dunsieth
Jessia Bieber, East Fairview
Megan Thompson, ECCFEC
Laura Mielke, Edgeley
Nola Roth, Elgin-New Leipzig
Ashli Rall, Ellendale
Maria Draper, Emerado
Jessica Mark, Enderlin
Michelle Bullis, Fairmount
Laura Christensen, Fargo
Vanessa Becvar, Fessenden/Bowdon
Vicki Krenz, Flasher
Daniel Willert, Fort Totten
Lisa Lunde, Fort Yates
Debra Youngs, Garrison
Naomi Silbernagel, Glen Ullin
Kaylee Olafson, Glenburn
Rebecca Young, Glenburn
Kristeen Monson, Grafton
Brady Olson, Grand Forks
Mark Miller, Grenora
Carissa Mehus, Griggs County
Angela Lyste, GST Multidistrict
Anna Syverson, GST Multidistrict
Kari Hubrig, Hankinson
Michelle Kukowski, Harvey
Ashley Pawlowski, Hatton
Heather Nieuwsma, Hazelton-MoffitBraddock
Bret Johnsrud, Hazen
Stephanie Heck, Hebron
Sarah Skogen, Hettinger
Hayleigh Lautt, Hillsboro
Amber Podoll, Hillsboro
Angel Lindseth, Hope-Page
Amanda Cook, James River Special Ed
Cody Mickelson, Jamestown
Courtney Halverson, Kenmare
Mackenzie Kleese, Kensal
Lindsey Steiger, Kidder County
Jill Hager, Killdeer
Dana Andrisen, Kindred
Tanya Neumiller, Kindred
Ben Scallon, Lakota
Heidi Livingston, Lamoure
Christina Olson, Langdon Area
Chelsey Richard, Larimore
Stacy Follman, Leeds
Stephanie Asmundson, Lewis & Clark
Marissa Motschenbacher, Lidgerwood
Rhea Flyberg, Linton
Hannah Hoenhause, Lisbon
Linda Christensen, Litchville-Marion
Elise Kallenbach, Maddock
Monica Klein, Mandan
Carley Dub, Manvel
Diana Kuznia, Maple Valley
Jennifer Helland, Mapleton
Mickenzie Watts, Max
Eric Hanson, May-Port CG
Roberta Netzloff, McClusky-Goodrich
Tamara Heinrich, Medina
Brooke Quam-Mistic, Midkota
Ahsley Sailer, Midway
Krista Bussman, Milnor
Tammy Widmer, Minnewaukan
Sarah Hicks, Minot
Stephanie Kirkeby, Minto
Kristen Lynch, Montpelier
Maureen Schrader, Montpelier
Jennifer Greff, Mott/Regent
Darby Hart, Munich
Brian Schneider, Napoleon
Becky Schweitzer, Nedrose
Kent Brown, New Rockford/Sheyenne
Jackie Wollschlager, New Town
Marcia Halldorson, North Border
Elizabeth Lequire, North Sargent
Jim Greenlee, North Star
Lyndsey Swanson, Northern Cass
Cory Schall, Oakes
Anne Rosenow, Oliver-Mercer
Haley Ulland, Park River Area
Robert McRae, Parshall
Carrie Wolsky, Pingree-Buchanan
Thank You Local Presidents
Ashley Elsworth, Ray
Chelsea Christensen, Richardton/Taylor
Tiffany Carlson, Richland
Tami Taszarek, Richland
Megan Gilje, Rolette
Brenda Seehafer, Rolla
Kari Hill, Rugby
Julie Almquist, Rural Cass County MultiDistrict
Jerry Fawcett, Sargent Central
Jennifer Hayes, Sawyer
Katie Sather, Sheyenne Valley Special Ed
Deborah Roberts, Solen
Joshua Tormaschy, South Heart
Jodi Pederson, South Prairie
Paula Fitzgerald, South Valley MultiDistrict
Arren St. Vincent, St. John
Kendra Evensvold, Stanley
Rebecca Kinglsey, Starkweather
Brian Grove, Strasburg
Kelsey Vetter, Surrey
Darcy Podoll, TGU
Wendy Jordheim, Thompson
Ryan Erras, Tioga
Chris Lind, Trenton
Anita Laib, Turtle Lake-Mercer
Tania Eichhorst, Underwood
Andrea Cota, Upper Valley Special Ed
Sarah Lerud, Valley City
Kathleen Houser, Valley-Edinburg
Jen Kramer, Velva
Jessica Stoppleworth, Wahpeton
Natasha Sailor, Warwick
Tracy Jaeger, Washburn
Pamela Moen, Watford City
Matthew Montonye, West Fargo
Casey Mills, Westhope
Karen Heinzen, White Shield
Rachel Anderson, Williston
Nathan Stamstad, Wilton
Jeanette Fox, Wing
Lisa Hendrickson, Wishek
Trudi Glynn, Wyndmere
Advocacy: Year in Review
2024 was an exciting and challenging year for our advocacy efforts. As we head into 2025, the work we did to win a critical victory against Measure 4, to train our leaders and activists, and to strengthen our relationships across the political spectrum will put us in a solid position to stand up for educators and public employees in the 2025 Legislative Assembly.
2024 Primary Election
The 2024 primary elections provided us with an opportunity to support several Republican incumbents who voted against vouchers and were being challenged by antipublic education hardliners. We were able to send supportive mail pieces to our members highlighting the vote to oppose vouchers, and our memberled United Political Action Committee (UPAC) made $18,500 in contributions to support those who stood by us. Overall, we were successful in 11 out of the 15 races we entered (73%). We were able to protect key rural opponents of vouchers. We also played a part in helping to defeat Rep. Brandon Prichard in District 8, who led the charge to challenge many of the rural Republicans who have stood against vouchers and other attacks on public education.
As we look to the future, primary elections will continue to be a way for us to ensure we have elected officials in both parties who are willing to stand up for our members, for students and our local communities.
North Dakota United members and staff at the 2024 Summer Leadership & Advocacy Summit.
Summer Leadership & Advocacy Summit
As we continue to face mounting challenges in our local unions, in contract negotiations, and in the political world, we knew we needed to train and prepare our leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for their students, communities and themselves.
In late July, 30 member leaders from locals across the state came together for our firstever Summer Leadership & Advocacy Summit in Bismarck. Over two days, we covered:
■ The fights we see ahead from Measure 4 to vouchers to pension attacks
■ The nuts and bolts of effective negotiations from start to contract
■ Union leadership
• Expectations/Roles & Responsibilities
• Distributive Leadership
• Running an Effective Meeting
■ Legislative Advocacy Tools and Tips
■ Organizing co-workers for action
■ United Political Action Committee (UPAC): Why it Matters and What We Can Do to Strengthen It
■ AutoPay to protect our membership from anti-public education politicians
■ Media training for local leaders
It was a packed two days and member leaders walked away energized and confident they could meet the challenges ahead of us in our work. We will host another Summer Leadership & Advocacy Summit in 2025. Stay tuned for details!
Leading the Way to Defeat Measure 4
It is hard to overstate how critical the leaders, members and staff of North Dakota United were to defeating the ill-conceived Measure 4, an initiated measure that would have cost our state $3.15 billion every biennium and would have put public education and public services in peril.
North Dakota United was the catalyst for pulling together the Keep It Local ND coalition of more than 100 organizations. Executive Director Chad Oban was the chair of the coalition and Political Director Ali Hoffman was the campaign manager of a campaign that soundly defeated Measure 4, winning every county in the state, with a margin of more than 63%37%.
Our members were also a crucial part of this winning campaign by posting yard signs in every community across the state, educating friends and family, and making phone calls to our members to ensure they knew about the issue and got out to vote.
Like most tough challenges in life, our union has come out on the other side of this fight stronger and more connected for the work we have ahead of us.
Advocacy: Year in Review
2024 General Election
The results in the North Dakota statewide and legislative races were, by and large, a return to the status quo.
Governor — We are hopeful that newly elected Gov. Kelly Armstrong will be a leader who will listen to the needs of public educators and public employees. We have had good initial interactions with the Governor, and he has always been an elected official who engages with North Dakota United members and leaders.
Legislature — Ultimately, both the Senate and the House will look very similar in partisan makeup to the 2023 session. The Republicans will hold a 42-5 margin in the Senate and an 83-11 margin in the House. Our key work in the coming weeks will be to build relationships and connect new legislators to ND United members in their districts.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
— ND United member Kirsten Baesler won re-election as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. We look forward to continuing the strong relationship with the Superintendent and ensuring that we are working together to improve our schools and make sure our students and educators have what they need for success.
Don’t Miss ND United Lobby Day 2025!
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming biennial Lobby Day in Bismarck on February 16-17, 2025. This event is a unique opportunity to make our voices heard by state legislators on the issues that matter to us most: public education and the rights of public employees. Together, we’ll share our stories, speak with legislators, and observe committee hearings to better understand the policymaking process.
Continued on next page.
Advocacy: Year in Review
Continued from previous page.
GROW Team
Our Government Relations Organizing and Winning (GROW) Team members continue to lead by example. Throughout our Measure 4 campaign, GROW Team members were on the frontlines, submitting letters to the editor, educating coworkers about the measure, appearing in television commercials, and essentially doing everything that was asked and more.
As we head into the 2025 legislative session, the GROW Team’s work will be increasingly important as we advocate for the resources we all need to succeed. More importantly, if you are fired up and ready to see the changes we need in our schools, workplaces and communities, we need YOU to join the GROW Team today!
What’s Ahead in 2025
As we enter 2025, we will be paying very close attention to the bills filed that will affect our members. While there are always a few wild cards every session, we expect these issues to dominate our time and attention in the 2025 legislative session.
Vouchers — As we have seen for several sessions in a row, we will be fighting back against spending public dollars on private education. We will have far more to say as we learn more about the latest voucher scheme.
Pensions — We will be vigilant in monitoring any attempts by the legislature to reduce the retirement security of North Dakota United members. We will also continue to insist that the legislature live up to its promises after closing the defined benefit for NDPERS.
Funding — We, as always, will be advocating for the resources our classrooms and workplaces need. We are hopeful that we can take a good step forward on this front in the coming session.
Property Tax Reform — It is clear that North Dakotans are frustrated by increasing property taxes. We will be
closely monitoring the property tax reform discussions to ensure that we continue to fund our public schools and services appropriately.
Universal
School Meals — A recent North Dakota News Cooperative poll showed that 82% of North Dakotans support free school meals. The time has come for North Dakota to make this investment in our kids, and we will be a part of a coalition to help move forward on this issue.
Most importantly, if we are to be successful on these issues and more, we need every member to be engaged in the legislative process. We will be constantly sharing updates from the Capitol via email and socials and will make it easy for members to contact legislators and testify on legislation. At the end of the day, while our lobbying staff and leaders are second to none, our strength comes from the collective action in communities across the state.
If you have been active before during the legislative session, thank you and welcome to the next round! If you have not, please take action this session to stand up for your students, your co-workers and your communities!
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