Committee advances constitutional measure to divert Common Schools Trust Fund dollars for school construction; opponents warn of long‑term losses

House Education Committee Chairman Heinert moved the meeting onto House Concurrent Resolution 3035, a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize a dedicated draw from the Common Schools Trust Fund for school construction.

Representative Eric Murphy (District 43, Grand Forks), the bill sponsor, told the committee the proposal would put a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot allowing voters to decide whether to authorize additional withdrawals from the Common Schools Trust Fund for school construction. "We can either get ahead of the problem or we wait until the courts tell us there's a problem that we already recognize," Murphy told the committee, referring to perceived inequities between rural and urban districts.

Murphy said the concurrent resolution would authorize roughly $300 million a year beginning in 2028 under one scenario and described the proposal as an…