[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6488460,"mediaKeyId","5561019-e569ff885cdb152ef7f57a9eeecc94c1","parentId",5561019,"title","Grand Forks school board approves personnel release, multiple procurement awards and a package of policy updates","audioSeconds",4008,"startMs",2716000,"endMs",6724000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561019-e569ff885cdb152ef7f57a9eeecc94c1&start=2716&end=6724","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561019-e569ff885cdb152ef7f57a9eeecc94c1/thumbnail_2716000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6488460/North-Dakota/Grand-Forks-school-board-approves-personnel-release-multiple-procurement-awards-and-a-package-of-policy-updates","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488460-4bda11a43738f26593b88b9ecf5bd952/orig.mp4?Expires=1771086203&Signature=Ig5aWpjERi38pHXqTZBbxKSV2SIB-sZHk5Fwg9XEBQ-Ciw-kZESpumXHBHtp83QSuYjct0EgN27TwvI4S1wEG6Tg4CqE7Lc1GAJh0QwZrnJAMCv9shPs9D7p7tmAaynfFSoU84owBQJbq4GJFECo1vI8QwpXT0dXvx9SWY9ZxzQx7IddY2Qmlf55D16z-kXi5tOpcLxEnpaglnEeIJ-JWlsXbyGCyTJDC-AhElxgmetV-hSHdmt3zDzks3sjKeQmP~pP05sSETRto2VMymGVUn~oVS7ifHyrHG~vnY20-iNf-8GbbECyVyjkZfDPt~Hh3B6tPvfRvN-hRzq8xokXQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Grand Forks Public Schools","date","2025-08-11T22:00:30Z","article","The Grand Forks Public Schools Board of Education on Aug. 11 approved a series of administrative and procurement items, adopted multiple policy changes (many required by recent state law), and received a finance committee update on construction contingencies.

Key votes at the meeting included the board’s approval to release a contracted staff member from his 2025–26 teaching contract with liquidated damages, selection of beverage and fuel vendors, acceptance of a filtration supplier for district HVAC units and adoption or amendment of a large set of district policies.

The board voted unanimously to grant a release from contract for Evan Peterson, dean of students at Valley Middle School. Superintendent Dr. Brenner presented a resignation letter dated for an effective date of Aug. 15, 2025; the district noted that liquidated damages equal to 3 percent of the contract were enforceable under policy DKB B E and that the assessed amount is $1,851.18. The motion to grant the release and enforce the liquidated damages was moved by Larson, seconded by Dr. Lund, and passed by roll call, 9–0.

On procurement, the board approved selected beverage products from competing bids by Pepsi and Coca‑Cola as a line‑item award; the board’s packet identified a recommended product-by-product selection in an attached summary. The motion to approve the recommended beverage products was moved by Cleven and seconded by Dr. Hodak and passed 9–0. The administration explained that the bids were line-item offers and that vendors understood that the district might select some products from one vendor and other products from the other.

The board accepted two fuel proposals for vehicle refueling: B1 Inc., doing business as Gateway Senex, was approved for priority in-town refueling and Circle K Holiday Corporation was approved for other in-town and out-of-town refueling. The motion (moved by Palmasino, seconded by Manley) passed by roll call, 9–0.

District staff also recommended Technics Filtration as the supplier for HVAC filters across the district for a total cost of $105,178.15; the board approved that procurement (motion moved by Dr. Lund, seconded by Cleven) by a 9–0 vote.

The policy review committee presented a long list of recommended policy actions. The board adopted many policies on first reading and waived second readings where the committee recommended doing so. Among items adopted were new or amended policies on virtual schooling and virtual instruction (ABAD, GACA), student devices and electronic communications (FFI), wellness policy adjustments (ABEA) and a batch of additional policies and amendments that the packet lists by code (GACB; GACE; FFK; ACCB; FG A; DCCA; FFE; FCAA; DDBD; GABE; BCAA; BCBA; BBA; KAAC; GAAD). Several motions to adopt specific policies carried unanimously, and the board voted to rescind Policy 5640 because it was superseded by newly adopted language. The board also approved a board regulation (FFK‑BR) as amended.

The finance committee reported that it had approved a small change order of $125,045 for irrigation and backstop adjustments at a construction site; committee members noted the project continues to run with significant owner contingency remaining and that funds would likely be needed later to tear down the old Valley building. Committee members said change-order authority rests with the finance committee, so no board action on that item was required.

Board members discussed board compensation (policy BDD) at length and asked the policy review committee to return with a recommendation. The committee will take the topic up at its Sept. 11 meeting and the full board will take public feedback at the Aug. 25 school board meeting. Board members expressed interest in a two‑year review cycle tied to other district budgeting timelines and requested comparative compensation data that committee staff had prepared from peer districts.

The meeting packet and motions record the mover/second and roll‑call outcome for each action; where specific contract or bid attachments were referenced, the board approved the recommendations as outlined in the packet. Several items before the board were discussion only and required no vote.

Ending: Board members recessed for a scheduled tour of Valley Middle School; the district indicated it will return to the board with follow-up information on facilities planning and the energy‑savings report.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","GFPS School Board Meeting (August 11, 2025)","oneSentenceSummary","At its Aug. 11 meeting the board approved a resignation release with liquidated damages, awarded contracts for beverages, fuel and HVAC filters, and adopted a series of policies and regulations; the finance committee reported a small construction change order approved under committee authority.","taxTitle","GRAND FORKS 1, School Districts, North Dakota","taxId",49620,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6488465,"Grand Forks schools exceed first-year guaranteed energy savings as upgrades come online",2040,436000,2476000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5561019-e569ff885cdb152ef7f57a9eeecc94c1&start=436&end=2476","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5561019-e569ff885cdb152ef7f57a9eeecc94c1/thumbnail_436000.jpg","/articles/6488465/North-Dakota/Grand-Forks-schools-exceed-first-year-guaranteed-energy-savings-as-upgrades-come-online","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488465-e1ff5e038f4118673499bf4abbf4ac50/orig.mp4?Expires=1771086203&Signature=flIuhr0O8KEqoGSAhP-dsu8IePqz2wWNi0amfQ-DmJSdgW8dNIkmDzOFwJfEfz0AveCWhkCfymwx3GsX2xB~Fgro2rGQvQhu38iOHXYN9yCjLw1mSDoC9c~dYIVCdnsKJdVfW5SEEn8lzLOsVbhZCMIjhEMuYXySfbFxa6r2AChYEWJEt1nDENPUU06972~~Ryaoz5Te8COXG0lxcAso~9U8ZOC~O4XoWDP-NBqrYU6X9uivqnYVJ-IZ9XCmHhBgbT3QWj1qpIEg-6Lfvw3Q~ptKQaZIdKzeQkM1q-Yp2tRyhJTdMi4yVGfLKGyyvmkEnPBhzM5a1jYGyzc0DqQJQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Grand Forks Public Schools officials and their engineering consultants reported that the district’s guaranteed energy savings program has outperformed early expectations, producing both immediate construction-period savings and continuing reductions in utility use since performance tracking began in November 2024.

The presentation to the school board on Aug. 11 summarized an $18 million facilities project completed in late 2024 that replaced lighting with LEDs, upgraded building envelopes, installed new HVAC equipment and added air conditioning to some schools. Connor Daley of engineering firm CMTA said the district has saved about $668,000 since construction work started in 2023 and that the first-year guaranteed annual savings are $347,000 in energy plus $32,000 in operations and maintenance, a combined contractual guarantee of $379,000 a year.

Board members heard technical and financial details about how the project was scoped and measured and discussed items that can affect comparisons to historical utility use.

The consultants said the project replaced more than 18,000 light fixtures with LEDs, installed over 325 HVAC devices, added cooling at J. Nelson Kelly Elementary, Lewis and Clark Elementary and Viking Elementary, and replaced a boiler at Lake Agassiz that removed the district from the UND steam system. Funding sources cited were roughly $5.4 million from energy-savings-backed financing and about $12.4 million from prior bond proceeds; the overall project cost was described as $18 million with no construction change orders reported for the energy project scope.

Connor Daley said the district’s total districtwide energy consumption has dropped about 29 percent from the three-year baseline used for the contract (2019–2021) to the construction period and early performance data. He estimated annual electricity savings of about 2.7 million kilowatt-hours, roughly 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide avoided, and the equivalent of taking about 217 gasoline-powered vehicles off the road each year.

Daley and Brandon Baumbach, who introduced the item for the superintendent, described measurement methods: the project uses a three-year historical baseline that smooths out atypically hot or cold years and allows limited baseline adjustments if a building’s use changes materially (for example, a pool that was offline during the baseline period). When the central pool returned to operation, the team adjusted that building’s baseline model upward and increased the guarantee by the same amount, the presenters said, so the district’s total measured savings remained unchanged.

Board members pressed on whether savings reflected changed thermostat or operating behavior rather than equipment efficiency. Daley said the guaranteed savings calculations are based on the district’s historical operating patterns; the consultants optimize equipment and controls for efficiency but do not police building operating set points. “We are using that three-year average baseline for that exact reason so that we can take out any of those abnormalities,” Daley said. He added that the project team provides guidance on operations but the buildings-and-grounds department retains authority to set temperatures and schedules.

Board member questions also covered scope selection. Daley explained the scope was determined by a comprehensive audit of each building; initial designs considered additional HVAC renovations but the final set of buildings was limited by available funding and board prioritization. Jonathan Elwein, director of buildings and grounds, told the board that large schools such as Central and Red River received partial upgrades but that full replacements for those large facilities did not fit into the project budget; he said the district is developing a larger-scale plan for remaining needs.

The presenters noted additional, lower-cost measures that improved the district’s utility bills, including the installation of capacitor banks at three buildings to improve power factor and negotiating utility rate schedules for five schools; those changes were projected to save an extra estimated $20,000–$30,000 per year beyond the guaranteed savings.

No action was required; the item was listed as discussion. The project team said it will return with the full first-year performance report in about six months.

Ending: The consultants framed the results as a district success tied to completed upgrades and continuing tuning of controls. Board members said they appreciated the data and asked that the administration return with updated performance figures at future reporting intervals.","District presentation shows $668,000 in cumulative savings since construction began, with an annual guaranteed savings of $347,000 plus $32,000 in operations and maintenance reductions; board discussion focused on measurement, baseline adjustments and remaining needs at large schools.","actionData","errors"]

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Grand Forks school board approves personnel release, multiple procurement awards and a package of policy updates

Grand Forks schools exceed first-year guaranteed energy savings as upgrades come online