United Voices, Vol. 8 No. 2

2022 Teacher of the Year

Bret Dockter

Voices is published in the interest of public education and public services. Educators and public

open to

them.

PRESIDENT Nick Archuleta

VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION

Alicia Bata

VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Gary Feist

NEA DIRECTOR Brenda Seehafer

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Chad Oban

EDITORIAL STAFF

Kelly Hagen –Communications Director

Sarah Keiser – Special Projects Coordinator

ADDRESS

North Dakota United 301 N Fourth St Bismarck, ND 58501

To update your membership record, change your mailing address or end duplicate mailings, contact NDU Membership at 701-223-0450 or comments@ ndunited.org

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United Voices is the official member publication of North Dakota United (NDU), an affiliate of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. It is published four times per year, with publishing dates in September, December, March and June. Postmaster:

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North Dakota United, 301 N Fourth St, Bismarck, ND 58501.

By Nick Archuleta, NDU President

Counting Blessings

As I write this column, it is the week before Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner. It is that time of year when I typically spend at least some time reflecting on the year that was, count my blessings, and begin to think about the year ahead.

My blessings are many. My beautiful bride and I are fortunate to have a family that remains happy, healthy and resilient. Our daughters continue to make their mark on the world, with two of them having young families of their own. Our son will graduate high school this year and begin the next chapter of what I hope will be an exciting and fulfilling life. Our seven grandchildren are a constant source of joy (and, frankly, amusement!) as we watch them grow, learn and experience life. As president of North Dakota United, I am blessed to do work that I love on behalf of men and women that I respect and admire for their dedication to public service and their commitment to this and future generations of North Dakotans. And the fact that I get to do my work with talented staff who are equally dedicated to the success of our union is especially gratifying.

So, while I am thankful for everything good that has come my way, I am also focused on those we serve. As you know, these past two years have had an incredible impact on the work you do and how you do it. NDU’s state employees have seen open positions go unfilled, causing their workloads to increase. That issue, and the issues of ending the defined-benefit pension program and the ongoing efforts to privatize services, are of grave concern

to public service providers across the state.

Our members in higher education have likewise seen dramatic cuts in personnel and other funding challenges. These challenges jeopardize the ability of these institutions to fulfill their missions and raise concerns about viability for those working in North Dakota and those contemplating a move to our state.

For K-12 educators, fights over masks, vaccines and critical race theory are not what drew them to this honorable profession. As I have traveled the state, a number of teachers and education support professionals have told me that they are seeing kids arriving at our schools with more trauma than they have seen in their careers. They have also told me that it feels like March when it is barely November.

At this point, it would be easy for one to throw up one’s hands and say, “To heck with it all!” But we won’t do that. We won’t do that because that’s not who we are. We are about serving others. We are about inspiring others to be better. We are about raising up our communities and leaving this world better than we found it.

So, while we do have challenges to deal with, we also have the opportunity to lead. When we gather in April at the NDU Delegate Assembly, a team of your fellow members will have prepared a new Strategic Plan that will guide our organization for the next few years. So far, I can tell you that I am inspired by this team, and I look forward to sharing its vision with all of you!

United, we will never stop trying to improve, inspire communities we serve

I wish you all the very best holiday season!

NDU in the News

Welcome to a new year, a new edition of United Voices and a new feature of our magazine: Editor’s Notes. In this space, we hope to include short news items, analysis and commentary, all about our union, our members and the issues that matter most to YOU! If you have any “Notes” you’d like to share with us, including story ideas and news tips, send them to comments@ndunited.org.

Protect Our Retirement

Public employees like educational support staff, snowplow drivers, and addiction recovery specialists work hard to support our children, keep our roads safe, and provide treatment to our family members.

But the hard-earned benefits of North Dakota’s dedicated public employees are now at risk. Why? Because some North Dakota legislators want to eliminate pensions and guaranteed retirement payments administered by the North Dakota Public Employee Retirement System (NDPERS) for new state employees.

If NDPERS pensions fall, pensions for teachers and other public employees may be next in line. We have a chance to protect North Dakota public employee pensions and stand up for every North Dakotan’s hard-earned retirement security.

For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.ndunited.co/pension.

Substitute Shortage

Area educators joined North Dakota United President Nick Archuleta and Education Minnesota President Denise Specht at a press conference on Dec. 8, 2021, in Moorhead, Minn., to share stories of educating during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as it relates to the shortage of substitute educators.

COVID-19 didn’t create these issues and others facing educators, but it did shine a brighter light on them. The

educator shortages across the country pose a challenge not only for finding new teachers and education support professionals but for finding substitute coverage.

“Districts can fix all of this by investing in its educators, which in turn is an investment in students,” said Archuleta. “Thanks to the federal ARP funding, they have all the money they need to increase pay for substitutes and hire more permanent subs to be consistent and reliable adults in our buildings.”

Student Debt Relief

After years of legal battles to ensure the effective administration of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public servants will be getting substantial relief from crippling student debt.

On Oct. 12, 2021, the American Federation of Teachers announced that they had reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education in the case of Weingarten v. DeVos, filed in July 2019 to hold the federal government accountable for its failure to manage the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. In North Dakota, many of the educators and public employees affected by this settlement are members of North Dakota United, which is affiliated nationally with both AFT and the National Education Association.

Learn more online at www.aft.org/PSLF.

for Mr. D

By Tom Gerhardt, tom.gerhardt@ndunited.org

Bret Dockter, a sixth-grade social studies, science and math teacher at B.M. Hanson Elementary School in Harvey, is known affectionately as “Mr. D.” But as the 2022 North Dakota Teacher of the Year, Dockter gets all “A’s” for the effort he gives in his classroom and on the football field, as the head coach for Harvey-Wells County.

At a ceremony held at the state Capitol building in Bismarck on Sept. 27, Dockter was honored along with three other finalists for the state’s top prize for educators in front of a crowd of friends, family, colleagues, elected officials and a special group of his senior football players who traveled all the way to Bismarck, not even knowing

he was going to receive the top award.

“When I came this morning, and I saw a group of my boys walk in — and they had no idea that this was going down today — it took my breath away,” Dockter said. “It was one of the most special things I have, that day,

is when I got to look back and saw those guys in suits, their shirts and ties, and thinking to myself. … That was hard to take in, in a good way, because it was so great, and that they said they were just going to come support me.”

The day was made even more special by the students who couldn’t be there with him in-person, too. Dockter said he woke up on the day of the ceremony to a nice surprise from his students at the elementary school. “I got a text from the grade school with the whole grade school in the gym floor wishing me good luck,” Dockter said. “There are no words to describe what those kids mean to all of us.”

Each year, educators from

across the state are nominated to receive their county’s award as top teacher, and all of those recipients move on for consideration to be named as finalists for the North Dakota Teacher of the Year recognition. This year’s competition was, as always, formidable. North Dakota United President Nick Archuleta explained the challenge it is each year, and especially in the last couple of years, to select just one winner amongst all the quality educators in our state.

“They are (all) incredible teachers, and they are here representing incredible colleagues all across the state,” President Archuleta said. “The quality of the work that you have done over the course of the past two years has been nothing short of phenomenal. You went from full-time face-to-face instruction to full-time distance learning instruction, and back again, more competently and professionally than any state in the nation.”

The other three finalists for North Dakota Teacher of the Year award included Heather Ell, of John Hoeven Elementary in Minot; Matt Nielson, of Valley City High School; and Shari Jerdi, of Community School in Grand Forks. All are members of North Dakota United.

“It is with great pride and humility that I stand here today to accept this award,” Dockter said in his remarks. “I am humbled and overwhelmed

Bret Dockter speaks at the 2022 North Dakota Teacher of the Year awards ceremony held at the state Capitol building in Bismarck on Sept. 27

when I think about the amazing teachers all across the state of North Dakota. It is surreal to be considered that I am among them because there are so many of them. Every day – and I’ve heard it quite a bit this morning about the pandemic and what teachers went through, and it was never easy – but no one ever gave up, and that’s North Dakota.”

Dockter mentioned the significant efforts that educators have given during the pandemic — and never giving up. He offered a long list of thank-you’s, including one to North Dakota United.

“Next, thank you to President Archuleta and North Dakota United for having our backs and supporting the welfare of our teachers,” he said. “The pandemic has taken its toll on the teaching profession. It is a relief to know that we have a group that are promoting our teachers and are concerned for the health and well-being of our teachers.”

Gov. Doug Burgum lauded Dockter in his remarks at the ceremony for the work he does with project-based learning. “He understands that students learn better when they see themselves as part of something larger, something like as members of a team or a project team,” Governor Burgum said. “He encourages students to apply what they

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Dockter

Dockter

Scan this code on your phone or tablet to watch videos on the 2022 ND Teacher of the Year finalists.

Bret Dockter accepts his 2022 North Dakota Teacher of the Year award from NDU President Nick Archuleta

in his classroom in Harvey, ND

on the football field

learn in a classroom in their lives outside of school and he encourages relationship building in his community.”

“I don’t know if maybe it’s just from my learning, my own learning, (but) I don’t like sitting in a desk all day,” Dockter said. “I like to have hands-on, get dirty and … it gets pretty hectic.”

Project-based learning, along with building relationships, is at the heart of Dockter’s teaching style. A poster on the door to his room says students are the reason he shows up every day.

“What would we have without our kids?” Dockter said. “That’s the best way you could say (it). They’re the reason we’re here every day. I don’t know of another job … where it changes every day and it’s something new every day. I mean, something new today happened that will not happen tomorrow. And that’s exciting to me.”

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler said that when her office called Dockter to inform him he was a finalist, they found out more about his character.

“When we first called Mr. Dockter in July to tell him he was a finalist for the Teacher of the Year award, our public information officer was calling, and he said, ‘I can’t talk to you right now; I’ll have to call you back.’ He was volunteering his time working on a city garbage

truck, and he needed to attend to that,” Baesler said.

He challenges his students to “leave a legacy.”

It started as an accident 13 years ago when he wanted his kids to get a sense of a million. They collected pop tops and got to around 900,000, and they then donated them to the Ronald McDonald House in Bismarck. Eventually, that success led to each successive class doing an impactful community project.

“I think everybody takes a lot of pride in what we’re (and) what we’ve been able to do,” he said. “We helped purchase a fire truck last year. We’re helping to build a new bridge, and people like to see everybody coming together rather than we see so much people being split. We get to see people come together, and the kids are the leaders of it, and I think that’s the best, you know?”

Dockter hopes to use his Teacher of the Year platform to promote and encourage more young people to become educators. There’s no doubting his pride and passion for the profession.

“We have some of the best — or maybe the best — educators in the nation. And so, to represent all of the teachers out there that are doing these things, it’s humbling to me because, you know, as I said at the start, we have the best,” he said. “We are the best, I think, and I’m very proud to be from North Dakota.”

First-grade teacher in Minot honored for her efforts at uniting people

Together As One

By Kelly Hagen, kelly.hagen@ndunited.org

Schools are more than just buildings. They’re people, too, and within those walls daily occurs a noisy, coordinated blending of differing thoughts, feelings, ideas, personalities and energy.

So, when a new school opens in a community, there’s more to the process of constructing it than just the bricks and mortar. Architects of humanity, heart and soul, are essential to bringing students, staff, faculty, parents and communities together into one singular entity.

When John Hoeven Elementary School opened its doors in August of 2016, one of the key architects of that school’s collective soul was Heather Ell. A first-grade teacher at Hoeven, Ell took an active approach in order to help establish “a culture both conducive to learning and one that engages all stakeholders,” in her own words.

“When our school leadership team began planning for our first school year, we were looking for ways to develop a culture where all stakeholders were included and engaged in the school community,” she said. “I suggested a barbecue and activities that would bring our students’ families, as well as the families of our staff together to get to know each other and begin building the relationship that in turn builds a school community. I agreed to chair this event and formed a committee. Together we created the ‘Hoeven Family Barbecue.’”

Her dedication to bridging divides and bringing people together was central to her selection as the Teacher of the Year by the Minot Education Association in 2020, and the award for Ward County in 2021. Ell was also named a finalist for the 2022 North Dakota Teacher of the Year, and she was honored along with three fellow educators at a ceremony in the ND state Capitol this September.

Bringing people together has stayed at the center of Ell’s teaching philosophy and methods throughout her career as an educator. She incorporates lessons on diversity, tolerance, acceptance and kindness each year around the Christmas season with a unit on “The Holidays Around the World.” Her students learn about the customs and traditions of peoples in countries across the globe by putting together scrapbooks, dressing in and making items of clothing from different cultures and faith celebrations, decorating their classroom and enjoying traditional foods.

Ell is also active in her community, professional organizations and in her union, the Minot Education Association. “I believe that collaboration is one of the important keys to success,” she said. “I hope to share the need for collaboration among our teachers, students, parents and community, both in our classrooms and beyond in North Dakota.”

Another Road to Success

By Kelly Hagen, kelly.hagen@ndunited.org

Twenty-two years into a career in education, Shari Jerde looks back at the long and winding road she has taken, and she admits that this was not the route she originally envisioned.

“I didn’t intend to go into education,” Jerde, a business education and family & consumer science teacher at Community Alternative High School in Grand Forks, said. “I started out at Dakota College in Bottineau … and got a degree in secretarial studies. I worked at NDSU and then I moved over to work at Minot State. And one of the great things was – in the elementary ed department, which I was secretary of, I was able to help the instructors. One of the instructors asked about doing something on Microsoft Word, and I went into her office and helped her. And she said, ‘Why are you not teaching people this?’ I said, ‘Do you think I could?’ And she said, ‘I think you need to look into it.’”

Two decades later, after a few twists in the road that took her from teaching business education at Community High School in Grand Forks to receiving a master’s degree at the University of North Dakota, then to teaching jobs at Central Valley High School in the GriggsSteele-Traill Special Education Unit and Bottineau, Jerde returned to her “home” school at Community in

2018. And now, she is one of four finalists for the 2022 North Dakota Teacher of the Year.

Finding a way to roll with the many twists and turns that come up in life’s journey is at the heart of Jerde’s subject area in business and FACS. “Interestingly enough, yesterday, we had an event called Reality Check and Model,” Jerde said. “The idea is to have booths where you experience expenses that you’ll come across in life – anything from transportation, insurance, entertainment, food, all kinds of expenses – and we had all those booths set up yesterday. … Students got to draw a career card and then go around and make wise choices on spending.”

“I would say that I’m very blessed to have come back to Community High School,” Jerde said. “It really is a great opportunity for the greater Grand Forks community to allow an opportunity for students to find success that aren’t finding it in the traditional setting. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with the teaching that goes on in the traditional setting. … Sometimes that setting isn’t exactly what every student needs. So, I feel fortunate that we have the Community High School here in Grand Forks to offer that alternative setting for students to find another road to success.”

Educator finds home by teaching students to chart their own path

Valley City science teacher urges students to explore their passions

Hypothesis Of Happiness

By Kelly Hagen, kelly.hagen@ndunited.org

Matt Nielson, an 11th and 12th grade chemistry, physics and STEM teacher at Valley City High School and member of North Dakota United, sees himself as an explorer of the world around him. He’s been across the globe, with his family and while he served his country proudly as a member of the North Dakota National Guard. But, as he says, nothing could ever pull him far away from his home.

“I’ve been all around the world and there’s been nothing that’s going to drag me away from here,” Nielson said. “I love it here in Valley City.”

As a 16-year educator, the 2019-20 Valley City Public Schools Teacher of the Year, and a finalist for the North Dakota Teacher of the Year award, Valley City certainly loves him back. The “chemistry” between Nielson and his alma mater has been evident to him since he was in high school, there.

By his senior year, he had exhausted his options for chemistry and physics at the high school level and was allowed to take Chemistry 101 at Valley City State University. There, he found a friend and mentor in Dr. Joe Stickler, VCSU professor of science. “As a high school senior, Dr. Stickler put me in charge of the study group of college kids, and I found out that

I love doing that,” he said. “More than I loved playing tennis and pole vaulting and science Olympiad, I loved running that study group.”

The magnetic attraction he felt to education and sciences is exactly what Nielson implores his students to explore, through the scientific process or not. “Follow your passions and do what makes you happy,” he said. “I look at teaching, (and) I get enjoyment every day here. I get fulfillment. Every day, my cup is filled. … I hope I can get the students to find that passion or help lead them to that passion.”

Nielson says the most important lens for them to look at their career possibilities through is macro, not micro. “I tell the kids, it’s not about the chemistry,” he said. “Most of you probably won’t use chemistry at all after high school or after college. It’s about abstract thinking. It’s about problem solving. It’s about your logic.”

And it’s about the relationships you form along the way. “I wouldn’t be teaching if it wasn’t for those relationships,” he said. “That’s what fills my cup is relationships. If it was just teaching, I don’t think I’d be here. Relationships and seeing them grow is why I’m here.”

ND Pensions Under Pressure:

A Short History of NDPERS and the Concessions Public Employees Have Made to Protect Their Retirement Security

By Taylor Toso, taylor.toso@ndunited.org

During the 2021 session, members of the North Dakota State Legislature attempted to push through SB 2046, a bill that would have closed the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System (NDPERS) defined benefit hybrid retirement—or main— plan for all new hires effective July 1, 2023.1 Although North Dakota United—the state’s public employees union—member activists, and legislative allies eventually defeated the bill, state legislators passed HB 1209 requiring the interim Retirement Committee to develop a plan to effectively accomplish the same goal by January 1, 2024.2,3 Adding to the pressure is Gov. Doug Burgum’s plans he announced

at the end of September 2021 for spending state surplus dollars during the state Legislature’s special session. His plan would allocate $100 million to NDPERS to help pay down the pension’s unfunded liability, but these funds would only be deposited if the state legislature closes the main pension plan.4

The main pension plan covers most North Dakota state employees and participating political subdivisions as well as many educational support staff and higher ed staff. Although only the main pension plan is facing closure under HB 1209, lawmakers have suggested that the state pensions for teachers and others may be next up for closure.5

Steps the ND Legislature Has (and Hasn’t) Taken to Fund PERS

In 2007, the main pension plan was 93.4% funded. After the Great Recession, the plan’s funding declined, bottoming out at 62.0% in 2013. It has gradually increased almost every year since and now stands at 69.1% funded as of July 2020.6,7

In 2011, the employee contribution

rate was 4% and faced two increases up to the present rate of 7%. Since then, the rate has held steady despite attempts supported by many employees to increase the employee and employer contribution rates to ensure proper funding of the plan.8,9 At current contribution rate levels, the main pension plan is expected to lose

ground on its unfunded liability “indefinitely.”10

Members of NDPERS have done their part to support the pension’s solvency, including a number of concessions in recent years. Starting in 2016, legislators bumped the longstanding “Rule of 85,” which determines when an employee may retire and draw full benefits up to 90 for new hires starting in 2016.11 The rule is calculated by adding the member’s age and years of service credit. In 2017 SB 2047 passed, which decreased the benefit multiplier for new hires from 2% to 1.75% for new employees hired after December 31, 2019.12 During that session lawmakers also ended the employee health insurance credit for new hires.13

Legislators also adjusted the final average salary portion of a member’s monthly defined benefit in a way that may significantly

reduce the monthly benefit available to employees who work seasonally or are contracted for fewer than 12 months each year. The traditional calculation of the average of a member’s 36 best months (out of the last 180) was capped to only include months before 2020. Moving forward, members may take the average of their highest three year-long consecutive periods.11 Additionally, all current members had their account balances’ interest rate reduced by 0.50 percentage points for 2021 onward.10

The main pension plan did gain another source of potential funding in 2021 via the state’s Legacy Fund. Some earnings from the fund may be transferred to the plan as long as certain requirements are met, such as the plan’s funded ratio being below 90%. However, only a maximum of $150 million—with other expenses likely reducing this amount—may be available for transfer. Thus, this may not make much of a dent in the fund’s $1.4 billion unfunded liability.14

Defined Contribution Plan Reception Among ND Public Employees

Lawmakers have experimented with pushing employees towards the defined contribution plan before. NDPERS at its founding in 1966 started as a defined contribution plan. In 1977, state legislators converted the plan to a defined benefit pension in order to provide a more secure retirement for participating employees.6,15

More recently in 2013, the state Legislature gave all new hires the opportunity to participate in the state’s defined contribution plan. After four years, “only 3% of new employees chose the DC plan.” Many regretted it and pushed for

the option to be transferred to the main pension plan. Legislators acquiesced in 2017, and three out of every four eligible employees chose to switch to the defined benefit pension plan.15

In July 2020, defined contribution plan membership consisted of only 93 total participants, compared to the main pension plan’s active membership of 23,495. Since 2010, the plan’s active membership has increased by roughly 13.5% while the number of retirees and beneficiaries has jumped by about 71.5%.6,7

Continued on next page.

Economic Impacts

Public employees as well as the North Dakota League of Cities and North Dakota Association of Counties have cited public employee pensions as an integral recruitment and retention tool, especially as both private businesses and public entities need to compete for workers.16

Pensions for public employees in North Dakota don’t just support retirees and quality public services—they generate significant economic activity in communities across the state, providing consistent income for retirees to spend locally and

1 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. SB 2046, 2021, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/ documents/21-0095-05000.pdf.

2 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. “Bill Actions for SB 2046.” 2021, www.legis.nd.gov/ assembly/67-2021/bill-actions/ba2046.html.

3 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. HB 1209, 2021, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/ documents/21-0566-04000.pdf.

4 North Dakota Office of the Governor. “Burgum Unveils Accelerate ND Plan with Strategic Investment of Federal Funds, Tax Relief for Citizens.” 30 Sept. 2021, www.governor.nd.gov/ news/burgum-unveils-accelerate-nd-planstrategic-investment-federal-funds-tax-reliefcitizens.

5 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. “67th Legislative Assembly – House Government and Veterans Affairs.” 15 Apr. 2021, video.legis.nd.gov/en/PowerBrowser/ PowerBrowserV2/20210415/-1/20071#info_.

6 North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. “2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.” 30 Dec. 2010, www.ndpers. nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/about/ financial/2010-cafr.pdf.

7 North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. “2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.” 3 Dec. 2020, www.ndpers.nd.gov/sites/ www/files/documents/about/financial/cafr2020.pdf.

8 Brainard, Keith & Alex Brown. “Spotlight on: Significant Reforms to State Retirement Systems.” National Association of State Retirement Administrators, Dec. 2018, www. nasra.org/files/Spotlight/Significant Reforms. pdf.

9 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. SB 2048, 2019, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/66-2019/

support local jobs. This effect is intensified in hard-hit rural areas of the state. Taxpayers only cover about one-fifth the cost of NDPERS but enjoy over $800 million in economic output from these pension payments.17 Without the guaranteed benefits provided by NDPERS, thousands of workers and their families across the state would face economic instability and additional risk in retirement. Tax revenues supporting local communities could drop and additional strain may be placed upon existing social programs to cover the gap in benefits.

documents/19-0131-02000.pdf.

10 North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. “Actuarial Valuation as of July 1, 2020.” GRS, 23 Oct. 2020, www.ndpers.nd.gov/sites/ www/files/documents/about/financial/persvaluation-2020.pdf.

11 North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. “Defined Benefit Hybrid Retirement Plan (Main), 2019-2021.” Jan. 2020, www. ndpers.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/ members-additional-information/all-definedbenefit/db-plan.pdf.

12 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. SB 2047, 2019, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/66-2019/ documents/19-0130-03000.pdf.

13 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. SB 2046, 2019, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/66-2019/ documents/19-0129-03000.pdf.

14 North Dakota Legislative Assembly. HB 1380, 2021, www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/ documents/21-0218-10000.pdf.

15 Miller, Scott A. “Retirement Committee Initial Presentation.” North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System, 11 Aug. 2021, www.legis.nd.gov/files/committees/672021/23_5034_03000appendixc.pdf.

16 Thompson, Dave. “Legislative Interim Committee Looking at Changing Retirement Plan for New Government Employees.” Prairie Public Broadcasting, 5 Oct. 2021, news.prairiepublic. org/local-news/2021-10-05/legislative-interimcommittee-looking-at-changing-retirementplan-for-new-government-employees.

17 AARP in the States, “Snapshot: North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System.” AARP and NRTA, www.nirsonline.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/01/AARP-In-The-StatesSnapshot-ND-Public-Employee-RetirementSystem.pdf. Accessed 8 Oct. 2021.

Every day, our educators and public employees are stepping up, working hard and doing what’s right for our kids and communities. We want to celebrate the awesome jobs they do for us all by recognizing them with our Everyday Hero Awards.

We’re asking people across North Dakota to nominate those who always go above and beyond in service to the people of North Dakota.

Those eligible include:

■ public school teachers

■ professors at a public university

■ someone who works as support staff in public education, as a para-educators, bus drivers, nurses, administrative assistants or any other role

■ employees of public agencies on the city, county or state level in North Dakota.

Share the name of the Everyday Hero in your life & why you think they’re worthy of recognition at: ndunited.org/heroes

We’ll select the 10 best nominations and post them online for the public to vote on their favorites. The three highest vote-getters will receive an award and will be recognized in a special ceremony in their community.

NDU President Nick Archuleta, administrators, local leaders and co-workers will host a recognition event, and we’ll celebrate our Heroes in epic fashion.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Be a North Dakota United Activist!

NDU State Higher Ed Meetings

Higher ed workers across North Dakota face many challengesCOVID, pay, personnel cuts, overwork. Your colleagues across your campus and all over the state are facing these same challenges, and we need to come together to address them. That starts with reaching out and talking with our fellows, and that’s what this space is for.

Meetings occur every other Monday at noon Central time over Zoom. Meetings rotate between an open discussion among members and a focus on a pertinent topic, such as pensions, COVID sick leave, workload/position cuts, enrollment, federal pandemic funding, Public Service Loan Forgiveness or university budgeting. Topics are chosen by members.

All higher ed members and potential members, on any campus, in any role are encouraged to attend!

Please contact Ben Serber at ben.serber@ndunited.org for more information.

Local Leaders Academy

The next Local Leaders Academy will begin in the fall of 2022 and run through spring of 2023. If you have ideas or suggestions for sessions that should be offered, please send them to amy.flicek@ndunited.org.

Local Leaders Academy is an online series of trainings for local leaders. Any NDU members currently serving as a leader of their local or chapter, or any member who wishes to become a leader, is eligible to participate at no cost. Webinars are led by NDU staff, and participants may be eligible to receive professional development credits.

Celebrating Education Support Professionals Day

Education Support Professionals Day was celebrated across the country on November 17, 2021. Our Education Support Professionals (ESPs) are the staff at K-12 schools across the state who keep everything moving and working, each and every day. For all they do for our students, we thank them!

Here are a few testimonials about how much ESPs are appreciated. Share this story and video with your friends, family, and colleagues who work as school bus drivers, administrative assistants, paraeducators, aides, custodians, and all the many hard-working professionals on staff at your school to say thanks, too!

When I began teaching, I learned early on that the education support professionals in our schools really make them work. Let’s take a little time today and appreciate our education support professionals for all of the wonderful things they do to support teachers and our students and our schools and communities. Thank you, ESPs, we couldn’t do it without you.”

— Nick Archuleta, North Dakota United President

I would just like to take a second to thank all of our education support professionals for an amazing job that you do in and out of school--we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you.”

— Bret Dockter, 2022 ND Teacher of the Year/B.M. Hanson Elementary Harvey

Wishing all paras/ESP a happy national Education Support Professionals Day. Thank you for all you do!”

— Shari Jerde, 2022 ND Teacher of the Year Finalist/Community School Grand Forks

Thank you so much ESPs for what you do here in Mandan and across the state of North Dakota. You guys change the lives of teachers, families and students every day.”

— Monica Klein, Fort Lincoln Elementary Mandan

Giving Opportunity

In his final act, Binford man establishes scholarship fund to help Midkota students find their own path

By Kelly Hagen, kelly.hagen@ndunited.org

Thomas Wurst was born during the Great Depression, on March 1, 1932, and grew up on a homestead near the tiny rural community of Jessie, ND. Like most young men at the time, he felt pressure to stay on the farm, which he resisted. He was looking for an opportunity to go in a different direction, and it was a teacher who provided him one. His cousin, Kathy Antonelli, was a long-time member of ND United and the North Dakota Education Association as a science teacher in West Fargo. “(Thomas) graduated high school in Binford,” she said, “and the typing teacher came to him and said, ‘Would you please take typing? Because otherwise I’m not going to have a job.’ Because they had to have a certain number of students to keep their job, so he took typing from this teacher. And then when he went into the Marines – I think it was the Korean War then – that got him a job working in an office, when they found out he could type. So, he would always kind of joke and say that that saved his life, by taking those typing classes and being able to type.”

After completing his service to the Marines, he worked on the construction of the Garrison Dam for a few years. He then moved to Illinois to take a job with Bell Telephone, and he met Garnet Blosser, the woman who would become his partner for life. They married in 1966 and operated a gun and antique shop for several years. In 1972, they began working in Garnet’s family business, selling automotive parts and running a machine shop.

Thomas and Garnet were successful enough in their businesses to retire in the early 1990s, and they moved back to the family farm near Jessie. For nearly 30 years, they enjoyed a comfortable retirement together at the Wurst homestead and traveling to Florida each

winter, until Garnet passed away in 2009.

In the years before Thomas Wurst died on June 5, 2020, in West Fargo, the legacy he would leave was likely at the front of his mind quite often. He first contacted the NDU Foundation in 2016 and started the process of setting up a memorial scholarship fund in his name. After he passed in 2020, the probate of his estate and final distribution of its assets, totaling over $1 million, were used to establish the Thomas and Garnet Wurst Scholarship Fund in August of 2021.

This fund will go to graduating seniors at Midkota High School in Glenfield, ND, “to continue their education whether through college or a vocational/ trade school.” Administration of the fund will be the responsibility of the NDU Foundation Board of Directors, in consultation with an Advisory Board of the Milford school’s staff and administrators, to distribute $40,000 annually to seniors in Midkota.

Though separated in age by 20 years, Kathy Antonelli grew close with her cousin Thomas after he retired and moved back to the state. She served as the personal representative for the estate transfer and said she thinks her cousin would be happy to see how much good will be done in his beloved home community with these scholarships.

“He would definitely be really happy if the students that got these scholarships went on, finished their education and did better in the world because of what he did,” Antonelli said. “That it would help students who maybe couldn’t afford to go to school to improve their lives … he’d be really proud about that. That’s really what he wanted was to give some of those kids an opportunity they might not normally have had.”

Thomas and Garnet Wurst

NDU Foundation Scholarship & Grant Applications Open February 1!

Supporting the members of North Dakota United, their dependents and students preparing to teach, the North Dakota United Foundation has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships and grants since 1991. In 2021, the NDU Foundation awarded over $18,000 in scholarships and grants to 14 different individuals. These scholarships and grants are awarded to a wide range of deserving individuals, to be used in pursuit of secondary and post-secondary degrees, or for professional development.

Scholarships: Scholarships are available to North Dakota United members, including Student NDU and NDU-Retired members, as well as the dependents of all members. All scholarship applications will open on February 1 and are due April 1. Application information can be found at NDUnited. org by clicking on Who We Are and NDU Foundation.

Undergraduate Scholarships – Any field of study:

● $ North Dakota United Member/Dependent Scholarship – Available to an active NDU member or dependent of an active member who is pursuing post-secondary education in any field of study including vocational, associate or bachelor degree program.

Undergraduate Scholarships – Education degree:

● $ North Dakota United Education Scholarship – Available to a student who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in education.

● $ North Dakota United Foundation Ethnic Minority Scholarship – Awarded annually to a minority student preparing to teach. The Foundation will give special consideration to a student attending a tribal college.

● $ Mary Cripps Special Education Scholarship –Available to either an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing initial or advanced training in special education

● $ Bill Oban Special Education Scholarship – Available to an outstanding undergraduate student who is preparing for a career in special education.

● $ Cindy & Gary Rath Education Scholarship – Available to an NDU student member or a North Dakota resident who is a student NEA/AFT member in another state, pursuing an undergraduate degree in education. A preference will be given to a student attending Dickinson State University or Valley City State University.

● $ Les Snavely Memorial Education Scholarship – Available to a student at Dickinson State University who has been accepted to the teacher education program at DSU and is pursuing a degree from DSU that qualifies the student to become a certified teacher.

Graduate Scholarships:

● $ Ron & Ann Anstrom Scholarship – The purpose is to assist individual English, math or science instructors to improve their qualifications by attending summer school or engaging in graduate level courses during the regular academic year, online courses or extension courses that are part of a graduate program.

● $ Mary Cripps Special Education Scholarship – Available to either an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing initial or advanced training in special education.

● $ Halstenson Family Music Scholarship Fund – Available to a NDU member who possesses a current license to teach music in a North Dakota public school and is pursuing a graduate degree in music. While the individual is pursuing a graduate degree, the award may be used to participate in credit or noncredit educational opportunities to improve his/her K-12 music content knowledge and teaching skills. These opportunities are not required to be part of the master’s degree course content, but an experience that would certainly enhance the teacher’s skills, knowledge and abilities. Individuals must have at least one year of full-time teaching experience and indicate a desire to continue teaching music in North Dakota to be considered for this scholarship.

● $ Horace Mann ND Agents Graduate Education Scholarship – This program has been established to assist individual NDU members improve their qualifications by attending summer school or engaging in graduate level course during the regular academic year, online courses or extension courses that are part of a graduate program.

Grants: The NDU Foundation is proud to present special awards and grants to our members each year, for the continued development of their professional skills and knowledge. Application information can be found at NDUnited. org by clicking on Who We Are and NDU Foundation.

● $ Joseph A. Westby Leadership Award – Given each year in recognition of Joe Westby’s 45 years of leadership in education, including 32 years within our union. Westby recognized the need to encourage members and staff to pursue leadership training. The Joseph A. Westby Leadership Award has a rolling application process and may be submitted at any time.

● $ NDU Workplace Innovation Grant – Available for an individual member or a group of members to implement service delivery innovation to improve public education or public service in North Dakota.

NDU Professional Development Opportunities

For specific information and to register, please visit pd.ndunited.org

Online Book Studies (By Category)

Book studies are typically one credit courses that last approximately six weeks. One credit equates to 15 hours of study. Expectations include reading the book, answering discussion questions, responding to others’ responses, and a reflection paper/action plan.

Anxiety/Trauma/Addiction

> Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry – March 7, 2022

Cost: Members $50; ESP $25; Student members $0; Non-Members $100 The cost associated with this registration is for course participation only. These courses are eligible for 1 graduate credit through UND at an additional cost of $50 per credit paid directly to UND.

> The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It – April 4, 2022

Behavior/Management/Success

> I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids – January 10, 2022

> Better Than Carrots and Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management – February 14, 2022

> Teaching Tenacity, Resilience, and a Drive for Excellence (Gr 4-8) –March 21, 2022

> Roadmap to Responsibility: The Power of Give ‘Em Five to Transform Families – March 28, 2022

Innovation/Success

> When Kids Lead: An Adult’s Guide to Inspiring, Empowering, and Growing Young Leaders – February 21, 2022

Leadership

> Reality Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results – February 7, 2022

Literacy

> Read the World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age – January 31, 2022

> Writing Awesome Answers to Comprehension Questions (Even Hard Ones) – February 7, 2022

> Game Changer: Book Access for All Kids – February 28, 2022

> He’s Not Just Teasing: A Book about the Difference Between Teasing and Bullying – January 17, 2022

Self-Care for Educators

> The Teachers’ Guide to Self-Care: Build Resilience, Avoid Burnout, and Bring a Happier and Healthier You to the Classroom – March 14, 2022

Social/Racial Justice

> The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System and How to Fix It – January 24, 2022

> How to Be an Antiracist – February 28, 2022

> Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People – March 28, 2022

Mini-Courses:

Mini-Courses are short duration trainings that consist of a two-hour webinar presentation/discussion plus a short reflective paper. FIVE mini-course sessions plus reflection papers equal ONE credit. Earn up to FOUR credits through UND. Mini-Courses will be offered weekly from 7-9 pm via Zoom.

Prevalent Student Diagnoses: (1 credit)

These mini-course sessions will provide information on relevant/prevalent diagnoses that our students have such as ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder. Information about what to look for and strategies will be shared.

Cost: Members $50; ESP $25; Student members $0; Non-Members $100 The cost associated with this registration is for course participation only. These courses are eligible for 1 graduate credit through UND at an additional cost of $50 per credit paid directly to UND.

January 5, January 12, January 19, January 26, February 2

Teachings of Our Elders Part 1: (1 credit)

These mini-course sessions will provide information about Native American history in our state. Curricular expectations for classrooms will begin in 2025.

February 8, February 15, February 22, March 1, March 8

Here to Help ND

United hires new staff members in 2021

JARED ADAMS Northeast ND Field Consultant

jared.adams@ndunited.org

Jared Adams was hired as Field Consultant at North Dakota United in August 2021. Adams was an active member of the United States Army from 2006-13, and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Instruction from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. He taught eighth-grade American history for Fargo Public Schools and was a member of the Fargo Education Association executive board.

As a field consultant for NDU, he will work directly with members and leaders of our local associations, primarily in the north-eastern region of the state, and with leaders, staff and supporters on the state level to advance the policies and procedures of our union. These responsibilities include membership promotion, negotiations and contract maintenance with K-12 school districts, member rights, organizational health, state and national programs, and assisting locals to participate fully in the democratic nature of our union.

Adams lives in the Fargo area with his wife and their three children.

lisa.bennett@ndunited.org

Lisa Bennett was hired as the Administrative Assistant at North Dakota United. She joined NDU in May 2021 after having been involved in Early Education for 30 years as a program director, a preschool teacher and a consultant. She most recently worked with senior citizens at Burleigh Senior Adults Program as the site manager. Lisa answers phones, sets up meeting rooms for conferences, does filing and delivers mail.

Lisa lives in Bismarck with her husband Mike and two spoiled cats. They moved to Bismarck in 2009 and enjoy spending time outdoors. She grew up in Butte, Mont., in a strong union household. “My father was active in the IBEW and taught us that unions are the foundation for strong standards and quality of life for workers,” she said.

MADALYN RAMBOUSEK Controller

madalyn.rambousek@ndunited.org

Madalyn Rambousek was hired as Controller in the North Dakota United financial department. As part of the NDU team, she is responsible for the smooth daily financial operations of our association. As part of the business team, she is responsible for all of the administrative, financial and reporting functions of ND United, the NDU Foundation and the NDU PAC.

LISA BENNETT Administrative Assistant

Madalyn grew up in Hatton and graduated from the University of North Dakota with bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Business Management. Previous to joining the staff at ND United, she worked as a financial analyst. She lives in Bismarck with her husband, Lance, and two boys, Braeden and Drake. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, being outside, golfing, gardening and going to the zoo with the boys.

ALEX ROHR Legislative Campaign Organizer

alex.rohr@ndunited.org

Alex Rohr has joined the staff of North Dakota United as our Legislative Campaign Organizer. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Alex previously worked on electoral campaigns and as a news reporter.

At NDU, Alex’s work duties will focus on working with public employees on issues involving their pensions and retirement plans, healthcare, recruitment and retention. When not working, he spends as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors or learning new recipes in the kitchen.

BEN SERBER Higher Education Organizer

ben.serber@ndunited.org

Ben Serber was added to the team at North Dakota United in August of 2021 as Higher Education Organizer. Before coming to North Dakota, he was the president of the Florida State University Graduate Assistants United and the lead organizing fellow for United Faculty of Florida. He received a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2015 and is in the process of getting his Ph.D. in philosophy from Florida State University.

Ben has been involved in higher education labor activism across the country since starting graduate school in 2013. He’s dedicated to increasing membership and activism on North Dakota’s college and university campuses across the state. His dissertation remains “in progress.” Away from work, Ben said he “enjoys gaming, cooking, watching hockey and unsuccessfully shouting fatherly advice at (his) family’s three cats.”

TAYLOR TOSO Organizer

taylor.toso@ndunited.org

Taylor Toso joined the staff of North Dakota United in September as Organizer. Taylor has interned at ND United for the past three years during the summer while going to school at University of North Dakota. There, he received his bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Public Affairs.

Taylor hopes to utilize his passion for public education to help the members of NDU form solutions to their problems and realize their goals. In his free time, Taylor enjoys watching movies, debating who is the greatest basketball player of all time, and going on long walks with his Goldendoodle.

Lehrer des Jahres

ND United member and ITV instructor receives award as foreign language teacher of the year

By Kelly Hagen, kelly.hagen@ndunited.org

When Martina Dvorak, a German teacher for the Great Western ITV Network and longtime member of North Dakota United, was announced as the 2021 recipient of the Graciela Wilborn North Dakota Foreign Language Teacher of the Year award at the Foreign Language Association of North Dakota (FLAND) Fall Conference in Mandan on Saturday, Oct. 2, it came as something of a surprise.

Winners of this award, which has been given out annually by FLAND to a “teacher who excel(s) at their profession and share(s) the love of learning a language with their students and communities” since 1986, are first nominated, usually by a fellow foreign language teacher. Dvorak said that she was nominated by her high school Spanish teacher, who also taught through ITV.

“Senora Meidinger was my nominator,” Dvorak said, “and I made the joke that she never did mention how good of a Spanish student I was in her class. But I probably wasn’t the greatest back when I was a freshman or sophomore. My job is a lot easier than hers was at the time. Now my students can contact me in a second with email or Remind, they can take pictures of assignments, I can grade scanned homework as PDFs on my computer screen, there’s no more faxing and mailing tests and homework assignments.”

Dvorak grew up in Center, ND, and was raised by parents who both taught German at one point. Their influence was instrumental in her decision to pursue a career in teaching a foreign language. “My dad was the German teacher at the

school when I was there,” she said. “So, I obviously took Spanish because I don’t want my dad for a teacher, right? That would be too weird.”

She graduated in 2007 from the University of North Dakota with a BA in German, and in 2017 she received her MEd in Instructional Design and Technology from UND. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree and getting her teacher’s license, she started as a German teacher at Red River High School in Grand Forks. The experience of starting her career in teaching at a school in one of the state's larger cities was daunting at first, she said, as someone who grew up in small-town ND. But having done so was helpful to her development as an educator, she said.

Dvorak teaches interactively out of Mandan High School to many surrounding communities, including Stanley, Surrey, Parshall, her hometown of Center-Stanton and Beulah. She is a member of the Turtle Lake-Mercer Education Association and participates with her local association virtually, in a fashion like how she teaches. “I’ve always found being part of NDEA/NDU has always been important for all they do for teachers,” she said. “It’s great to know someone has my back.”

NDU Election 2022

The NDU offices of President, Vice President of Education, Vice President of Public Employees and NEA Director are up for election in 2022. The elections will be held at the 2022 NDU Delegate Assembly held at BSC, NECE in Bismarck on April 23.

Nick Archuleta, NDU President; Alicia Bata, VP of Education; Gary Feist, VP of Public Employees; and NEA Director Brenda Seehafer are all eligible to run for another three-year term. As of printing date, Archuleta, Bata, Feist and Seehafer have requested petitions for reelection.

NEA RA delegates will also be elected at the 2022 Delegate Assembly. The 2022 NEA RA will be held in Chicago, Ill., July 2-6.

North Dakota is allowed 15 delegates but current Board members are eligible to attend, and those attending will be subtracted from the 15 prior to the election. The number of delegate positions open will be announced in January.

If you are interested in running for any of these positions, you must file a nominating petition signed by 50 active members in good standing by February 15, 2022.

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.

Request a petition for office or RA Delegate by contacting Ellie Sharbono at ellie.sharbono@ndunited.org.

Retired Perspectives

By Karen Askerooth, NDU-Retired President

What Can I Do If I Am Retired?

Get involved in your association and never give up

Enjoy your freedom. I retired three years ago after more than 43 years at the chalk-face, and I am only now getting used to the idea that I can actually have a life of my own. I can take advantage of cheap holidays, escape the winter by visiting warmer climates for more than one week, go to the theatre/cinema on school nights, watch late-night movies, listen to whole of the Today programs. In fact, listening to the radio is a real pleasure.

I have mentored new educators and have gone back to the classroom and substituted when I wanted to.

I have considered adding to my retirement by volunteering at the schools to listen to children read. All things I have and will enjoy, but I do not want to make the full-time commitment. Get used to the fact that you can finally do whatever you want.

This brought me to reading some articles about how Covid has affected teachers retiring. Faced with the risks of an uncertain back-to-school plan, some teachers, who spent the last few months teaching over computers and struggling to reach students who couldn’t access online lessons, are choosing not to return in the fall. About 20% of teachers said they aren’t likely to return to

teaching if schools reopen in the fall, according to a USA Today/ Ipsos poll conducted in late May. EdWeek Research Center surveys conducted around the same time found that more than 10% of teachers are more likely to leave the profession now than they were before the pandemic.

But the teachers and retirees of North Dakota have shown they are dedicated to our schools and students by marching forward every school day: teaching, volunteering, mentoring, substituting and driving school bus, just to mention a few.

My congratulations to our North Dakota Teacher of the Year 2021 Bret Dockter. Dockter talked in his acceptance speech about the significant efforts that educators have given during the pandemic by never giving up.

And that is what I am saying to our retirees: NEVER GIVE UP!

Retirees have a LOT to still give to our profession. Join NDU-Retired! Get ACTIVE if you are already a member; answer that phone call to get involved. YOU have a lot to give.

“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up, but you don’t give up.” -

Chuck Yeager

North Dakota United

301 N 4th St

Bismarck, ND 58501-4020