Grand Forks school board upholds superintendent: flex time and Red River ‘rider time’ not extra paid period

The Grand Forks Public Schools Board of Education on June 16 denied Level 4 grievances from the Grand Forks Education Association, concluding that middle‑school “flex time” and Red River High School’s “rider time” do not meet the contract definition of an additional sixth period that would require extra pay.

The board’s decision follows a formal grievance process under Grand Forks Public Schools policy 41‑20 and the district’s teacher negotiated agreement, Article 8, Section 4. After testimony from building principals, district administrators and GFEA leaders, the board convened an executive session for legal advice and then returned to open session to vote to deny the appeals.

The issue centered on whether 25–30 minute intervention blocks held twice weekly—implemented at Red River High School as a 30‑minute block and piloted or run as 25–28 minute blocks at middle schools—constitute an assigned extra class period under Article 8, Section 4 of the negotiated agreement. The Grand Forks Education Association requested back pay and ongoing hourly compensation equal to “one hour per week” for affected teachers, with back pay dating to the pilot or initial implementation dates cited in the grievance materials.

Superintendent Dr. Terry Brenner recommended denying the grievances in written responses dated May 28, 2025. Brenner’s memorandum, read into the record at the meeting, said the district’s review of the contract language and implementation “respectfully denies the grievance” because the district views the flex/rider blocks as flexible intervention or enrichment time rather than a traditional assigned sixth…