Grand Forks board accepts GFEA petition to negotiate; educators urge protections for non‑classroom staff

The Grand Forks Public Schools Board on Feb. 10 voted to accept a petition from the Grand Forks Education Association to recognize a proposed negotiating unit that would include certified staff who are not employed primarily as classroom teachers.

The action follows a public comment period in which several district educators urged the board to accept the petition and to preserve language in the district's negotiated agreement that they said has historically protected certified staff who do not have their own classrooms. Dawn Moore, a district educator and long‑time negotiator, told the board she has served on negotiating teams since 2009 and asked the board to “accept the petition for Grand Forks Education Association to negotiate on the behalf of all of our educational professionals here in Grand Forks.” Kayla Christiansen, a GFEA negotiator and seventh‑grade language arts teacher at Valley Middle School, said…