Board approves salary increases for four district administrators

The Grand Forks Public School Board on July 29 approved recommended compensation packages for four senior administrators for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.

Superintendent Dr. Brenner presented the recommended packages and said the administration benchmarked the salaries against other large North Dakota districts. He told the board the four employees are not represented by bargaining groups and negotiate individually.

The board approved a 5% (year 1) and 3% (year 2) overall plan for Chief Academic Officer Amy Barch to raise her pay toward market parity with comparable large districts; Dr. Brenner said that the benchmarks came from business managers at peer districts. For Business Manager Brandon Baumbach the board approved a two-year package (roughly 2.88% in year 1 and 2.85% in year 2 as presented).

The board approved a two-year compensation recommendation for Associate Superintendent Dr. Glatch and Assistant Superintendent Matt Bakke, each at the presented percentage increases; Dr. Brenner said the adjustments place the administrators closer to averages for similar positions in larger districts. Board members expressed appreciation for the administration's benchmarking and noted the district must balance market competitiveness against budget constraints.

Each compensation recommendation was moved, seconded and approved by roll-call vote. The motions passed during the meeting and the compensation packages take effect in the 2025-26 fiscal year as presented in the board packet.