North Dakota
Supporters of charter schools coming to North Dakota say it's 'all about choice'
FARGO — For Amber Vogel, the establishment of charter schools in North Dakota can’t happen soon enough.
Her daughter, Abby,
loves the alternative learning style of Fargo Public Schools’ Self-Directed Academy,
which she’ll leave behind when moving on to ninth grade at South High School this fall.
“I don’t have any other high school options besides a traditional public school, which is crazy considering I live in the largest community in the state,” Amber Vogel said.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
Those new options are coming, with the North Dakota Legislature’s approval of Senate Bill 2241,
signed by Gov. Kelly Armstrong in late April.
Shelby Doyle, senior VP of policy and national partnerships at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, said North Dakota has been a “white whale” for public charter schools, finally joining the 46 other states that offer them.
Ironically, its neighbor to the east, Minnesota, was the birthplace of public charter schools more than 30 years ago.
“I have always wondered, has North Dakota ever looked over that border and thought to themselves, ‘That’s interesting,’” Doyle said.
The law takes effect Aug. 1, requiring charter schools to be part of the state’s public education system.
The process to establish them, though, is detailed and includes required timelines for public transparency and accountability, according to Dale Wetzel of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
Several informal inquiries have come in from teachers who are in discussions with potential sponsors in small and mid-size communities, but no formal proposals are yet under review, he said.
Given the time needed to complete rulemaking and implementation, Wetzel said the department does not anticipate a charter school opening for the 2025–2026 school year.
Doyle said even so, the charter school timeline could “sneak up” on people.
“If the first ones open their doors in the fall of 2027, the application process will start in 2026. That’s not terribly far away, especially when you’re planning for your child,” she said.
Speaking to The Forum from her organization’s home base in Nashville, Tennessee, Doyle said public charter schools are always open to the public and have no cost of admittance.
They may be set up in community centers, strip malls, former retail stores and converted industrial or office spaces.
They’re similar to traditional public schools, she said, in that they have the same academic assessments, must hire licensed teachers and provide transportation.
But charter schools differ in many important ways.
They’re typically run by a third party, which must have a performance contract with their state on results they plan to deliver for their “charter” to run a public school, she said.
While they’re publicly funded and must accommodate all students, they’re allowed to differentiate their offerings in terms of theme, focus or style of learning.
And, each charter school has its own independent board of directors that deals with day-to-day governance.
Per-pupil state funding follows each student to the charter school at which they’re enrolled.
Doyle said people need not worry about public school districts losing funds by some students moving to charter schools.
“While it can absolutely change the ecosystem … nowhere have we seen just a widespread disappearance of a public school system where charter schools have moved in,” Doyle said.
More than 180 charter schools operate in Minnesota,
she said, making up more than 7% of the K-12 student population. While the majority are located in the Twin Cities area, they are spread across the state, in cities, rural areas and on Native American reservations.
Charter schools closest to Fargo-Moorhead are in Park Rapids and Alexandria.
The Minnesota schools are often focused on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as well as those with arts added, or STEAM. Language immersion programs are also popular choices for charter schools, Doyle said.
Charter schools often offer online or hybrid options, as well.
“There was a huge reshuffling nationwide in school choices overall during the pandemic, and that’s been something that stuck,” she said.
Doyle said charter schools will be as good of an option as people in North Dakota make them.
“Nobody is going to just drop charter schools in your community … It’s going to take real grassroots energy for these schools to start and to be successful,” she said.
Vogel said she hopes multiple charter schools pop up as possible choices for her daughter.
“It gives families options to put their child in an environment that makes sense for them to learn in, so it’s all about choice for me,” she said.
TRAILL COUNTY, N.D. — More than a dozen fire departments across North Dakota have battled two grain elevator fires over the last two weeks.
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I did not attend any No Kings demonstrations, but several members of my family did. Senator Cramer, with fine impartially, referred to participants as “nut jobs. “ I assume he issued similar condemnations earlier to denounce the nut jobs who virtually demolished our nation’s capitol building (although those comments were never publicized).
The people exercising their constitutional rights that day were likely born and raised in North Dakota, and so familiar with our value system. One of those values, I think, is the firm expectation that the president of the United States (at the very base) be a decent human being, a requirement Cramer and Trumpers consider an inconvenience.
Perhaps the reason that those North Dakota folks were at the No Kings demonstrations was their concern that actions by the president (and eagerly supported by Cramer and Hoeven) would negatively affect them or their loved ones. And no doubt some at the rally were people who had watched with dismay the razing of historical structures to make room for a self-serving, $300 million ballroom. And OK, maybe some of the nut jobs there were of the Trump “nick picker variety” who didn’t feel they should be on the hook for $80 million to fund a billionaire’s golf trips.
Hey, Senator, remember back up in North Dakota how a man’s word was his bond? Picture now the fact that the somebody to whom you and Hoeven have given unwavering support is a consummate liar. What’s with the switch? A British newspaper has opined that the world is a much more dangerous place now that the president of the United States is a liar.
Think for a moment how the North Dakota values held by those “nut jobs” were challenged by rumors of sexually abusive behavior. Did you see any of those photos floating around of a man with his arm around a convicted sexual predator with the accompanied statement: “We have a lot in common”?
Senator, I have wondered about the naming of that “Big Beautiful Bill.“ Was it labeled “beautiful” because it left senate membership benefits untouched?
Perhaps you and Senator Hoeven (in your numerous public appearances) might address some of the issues raised by folks writing letters to the editor.
And keep in mind the so-called “nut jobs” contain voters who supported both of you in previous elections.
Buyer’s remorse, anyone?
Dominic Schaff is a resident of Bismarck.
GRAND FORKS – The Alerus Center bustled with thousands of eager shoppers Saturday, Nov. 15, as the Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase opened for the start of its two-day event.
The facility became an enticing, can’t-miss mecca for those in search of unusual or unique items for themselves or Christmas gift-giving. It was expected to draw more than 9,000 visitors, one of the hundreds of vendors told the Herald.
Administered and hosted by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, the Pride of Dakota program is an opportunity for businesses and organizations to connect with people in this region and beyond. More than 500 member companies participate in the program.
The event is also held annually in several other cities throughout the state.
“I come here every year,” said Autumn Maurstad, of East Grand Forks. “It’s one of all my stops.”
She was shopping for Christmas gifts, along with her husband Adam Maurstad.
At the “Holly the Potter” booth, she held up a natural-colored ceramic mug. Holly Van Santen Knipe, of rural Grand Forks, is the creative potter who has operated this business for many years.
“This coffee cup just spoke to me,” Maurstad said. “The bottom is not too gritty, the handle is good, it holds nice – it’s the perfect coffee cup. I’ve been looking for the perfect coffee cup for two years; I broke my last one.”
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
Tanya and Rick Anderson, of Grand Forks, have operated Tan and Jay Creations for two years.
“We have something for everybody,” Tanya said.
They hand-assemble items including pens, zipper pulls, coffee stirs, key chains and other items.
The work takes “many, many, many hours,” Rick Anderson said.
“It keeps us busy, but I enjoy it,” his wife added.
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
At the Pride of Dakota Showcase, the range of products are as vast and diverse as one could imagine – from the decorative to the functional, most of them handcrafted by North Dakotans. Available for purchase were artwork, food and beverage items, pet supplies, books, pottery, jewelry, photography, kitchenware, products to enhance personal health and well-being, and much more.
Carleen Hennenfent, a retired mortician from Bismarck, displayed her book, “Incomplete,” which offered insights on dealing with grief and the loss of loved ones – people as well as pets.
With memories that are stirred, the holidays can heighten that sense of loss, said Hennenfent, a grief educator. “It’s the nostalgia” that permeates the holiday season.
“People want yesterday to come back,” she said, “and they’re frightened of tomorrow. (It’s important) to live in the now, where at least we have some control.”
Nostalgia also plays a role in attracting customers to the traditional sock monkeys Keith and Leslie Ogden, of Cavalier, North Dakota, offered at their “Smitten with Mittens” booth.
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
Leslie has been making these stuffed figures for 18 years, she said. Each one requires “two socks – original, red-heeled socks – one for the body and one for the extremities.”
When the Odgens go south for the winter each year, neighbors in their retirement community like to buy them for their grandkids, to carry on the memory.
Her husband Keith, a retired state trooper, was selling his second book, “More Humor on the Highway,” which recounts the fun incidents that happened and the funny things people said to him, as a trooper on the job, and regretted later.
“I don’t want to remember the bad things,” said Ogden, a native of East Grand Forks who worked 26 of his 28-year career in Cavalier.
His first book, “Humor on the Highway,” sold 2,500 copies in Pembina County, he said. “(People) wanted to see who’s in it.”
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
On Saturday, the Alerus Center parking lots were nearly full and, inside, lines formed as additional security measures were in place, with personnel checking purses and totes and wanding visitors before entering the venue.
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
The Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase is also planned for Nov. 21-22 at Scheels Arena in Fargo and Dec. 5-6 at the Bismarck Events Center. Showcases were held earlier this fall in Minot and Dickinson.
Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald
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