Bill would let North Dakota Department of Public Instruction review districts, with sanctions for education-law violations

The House Education Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2104 on a proposal that would authorize the North Dakota superintendent of public instruction to review school districts for compliance with education‑related state law and, where noncompliance is found, to issue corrective actions and — if districts fail to comply — impose sanctions including withholding up to 2 percent of the district's state payments.

Senator Todd Beard, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure "is meant to put a procedure in place" so the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) can investigate complaints submitted by a parent, a majority of a local school board, or a county superintendent. Beard described key procedures in the bill: DPI could request information from the district, issue a corrective action with a timeline for compliance within 90 days, send a written warning if the district does not comply, and then — after an additional 30 days — impose sanctions. A district could request a hearing within 10 days of a corrective action, the bill says.

The bill drew sharply divided testimony. Supporters — including representatives of parent groups and concerned residents from Williston — argued the state lacks an effective, accessible process to resolve alleged violations of education law and cited instances they said went unresolved at the local level. Mark Jorritsma of the North Dakota Family Alliance told the committee…