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Superintendent reviews new state legislation affecting Bismarck schools, from cell-phone bans to funding changes
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Fosnott briefed the board on legislative outcomes with direct district impact, including mandated reporter training, a new cell-phone prohibition during school hours, human-trafficking curriculum requirements for select grades, and a K–12 funding increase of 2.5% over two years; he warned the district will face constraints from caps on revenue growth.
Superintendent Dr. Fosnott gave a legislative wrap-up May 12, detailing bills the district tracked during the recent state session and the implications for Bismarck Public Schools.
Fosnott said the district tracked 91 bills this session and that 61 ultimately became law or otherwise affected schools. He highlighted several items district staff are preparing to implement:
- Mandated reporter training (referred to in the meeting as "House bill 15 62"): the law adds components to required training for educators and the district will implement the updated course content.
- Changes to suspension and expulsion law (referred to as "House bill 12 23"): expulsions now by default run to the last day of the school year but the law permits a district to extend an expulsion into the following school year in cases where a longer exclusion is necessary (Fosnott said this could apply to bringing a dangerous weapon to school).
- Human-trafficking prevention curriculum (cited as mandated for grades 6, 10 and 12): the state selected third-party providers; the district will need to schedule the required sessions once vendors contact schools.
- Student voting protections (cited in the presentation as "House bill 11 6 78"): legislation prevents schools from barring students from leaving to vote during general, special or primary elections; Fosnott said BPS already accommodates voting trips.
- Cell-phone prohibition (cited as Senate Bill 2354 / similar bill reference): the new law requires K–12 students to keep personal devices stowed and inaccessible during the school day; the district will form committees with school leaders and possibly parents to draft acceptable-use rules and handbook language.
- K–12 funding (cited as "House Bill 13 69"): the legislature provided a 2.5% increase in the foundation payment over the next two years; Fosnott said the increase falls short of other state pay increases this session and may not fully cover rising insurance and operating costs.
Fosnott also explained the effects of a statewide policy capping revenue growth at 3% and a formula deduction tied to a 60-mil property-value calculation; he said those changes could constrain local revenue options and that the district will continue to analyze impacts on the funding formula. On transportation, Fosnott said the state will fund roughly 36% of actual transportation costs statewide under the new formula—a share he described as significantly underfunded.
He concluded by urging the board to expect follow-up policy work (for example, integrating the cell-phone prohibition into student handbooks and revising acceptable-use policies) and suggested a summer workshop to plan budgets in light of fiscal changes.
No formal board action was taken on legislation at the meeting; the superintendent directed staff to return with implementation details and recommended policies for board review.
