Grand Forks School Board to move forward after public forum on future of local schools

It's likely to take a couple of weeks before results of a public opinion survey concerning the future of Grand Forks school facilities are compiled and can be analyzed and discussed, said School Board President Doug Carpenter.

The survey was distributed Monday at a public forum at which representatives of JLG Architects presented information on the condition of the school district's 19 facilities. The architectural firm was hired early last year to conduct a thorough facilities assessment and help develop a master plan for the district.

The public forum was the first opportunity for residents to learn about the facilities assessment. The survey is a means for the School Board to gauge the public sentiment and views on what direction facilities planning should take.

Those who missed the forum may complete the survey online until 4 p.m. Monday by going to

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Carpenter said he expects it will take about two weeks after that deadline before results of the survey are compiled. The amount of time it takes depends on factors such as the number of surveys received, electronically and on paper, and the number of written comments added at the end of the survey, he said. Results will not be discussed by the School Board until members of the Facilities Committee have reviewed and discussed them, Carpenter said.

The next Facility Committee meeting has not been scheduled, but will probably occur after Feb. 19, he said.

"I think most of the (board's) focus in the first two weeks in February is going to be on our superintendent search," Carpenter said.

The deadline for candidates to apply for the position is Jan. 31. Superintendent Larry Nybladh has announced his retirement effective June 30.

The board's plan is to complete the search process and name the next superintendent by Feb. 15.

Concerning facilities planning, Carpenter said the question of future meetings to gather public input will be one of the agenda items at the upcoming Facilities Committee meeting.

"Questions on where we should be meeting, the types of formats of the meetings, and will there be a specific focus, or not, at the meeting-that will all be decided by the Facilities Committee," he said.

Parents form 'alliance'

Justin and Whitney Berry, who attended Monday's forum at South Middle School, have three school-age children and live in the Riverside Park neighborhood.

"I think it was evident at the public forum that there are a lot of people in our community in support of neighborhood schools, and that there are a lot of individuals who are frustrated by the board's current process," Justin Berry said.

The Berrys and others have formed the "Grand Forks Neighborhood Schools Alliance" to raise awareness and share information, especially among parents whose children attend the city's smaller elementary schools, which have been considered for possible consolidation.

About 180 people are following the alliance's Facebook page, Justin Berry said.

"We've been hearing from a lot of concerned parents from the West, Wilder, Winship, and Lewis and Clark (elementary schools) boundaries, along with other individuals across Grand Forks," he said.

"Right now we see our group as trying to help get information out there to the public," he said, "and we are hoping that the School Board allows additional opportunities for public feedback on their facilities plan."

The group plans to communicate about issues such as "the values and benefits of neighborhood schools, student 'walkability,' and neighborhood revitalization"-topics which "are not being discussed yet by the board within their process," he said.

Carpenter has stressed that the School Board is in the beginning stages in its analysis and development of a plan for school district facilities.

"I want to emphasize, again, it's a process. It's going to be a number of months before any decisions are made," he said.

"I think everybody just needs to maintain an open mind and provide input and review information that's provided. ... No decisions are being made today, and it'll be a number of months before it all happens."

Documents with information on the school district and its facilities, which were distributed at Monday's public forum, are available online at www.gfschools.org/Page/8586 .

A recording of the public forum is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UxtUTNFvBg .