Fargo board hears SI‑5 monitoring report highlighting financial stewardship, cybersecurity success and human‑capital measures

Bill (presenter) and district staff presented the Strategic Initiative 5 monitoring report and summarized progress across finance, operations and human capital.

Bill said “the vast majority of our spending has gone towards strategic priorities,” and noted the district maintained its AA bond rating and received an unmodified audit. He told trustees the district identified roughly $1 million in savings after departmental reviews and flagged improvements in efficiency.

On cybersecurity, administrators reported two incidents in the year. Bill said one involved PowerSchool; response time met the district’s measures and “our downtime was so low that it basically didn't register in the chart.” Board members praised the sharp drop in click-through on simulated phishing attempts and credited a combination of mandatory training and deterrent policies.

On human capital, the district reported 100% of teachers assigned mentors and 98% of staff appraised for growth. The monitoring report noted challenges with facilities-service ticket prioritization and distribution of frequently needed parts; facilities teams said they created a dashboard and building audits to improve responsiveness.

Board discussion focused on the district’s target that 100% of staff identified with instructional deficiencies be placed on improvement plans. Administrators said timing and evaluation-reporting lags meant they did not meet the target this year (roughly 90% achieved) and that some staff evaluated later in the year lacked timely plans; administrators described informal collaborative plans and said they are reviewing processes to improve early identification and support.

Trustees moved to accept the monitoring report. Board roll call recorded a 7–0 vote in favor.