(KNOX) – Grand Forks Public Schools Administrators are considering bringing back up to 10 paraprofessional positions through the district after having a meeting with special education staff.
Superintendent Terry Brenner says in a memo that staff should have been aware of the paraprofessional cuts much sooner than they were told, and they should have had more time to prepare for the changes.
Grand Forks Public Schools reduced the number of paras for special education programs across the district to one for every three students entering the 2026-2027 school year. Several teachers, principals and parents of special education students reached out to the district with their concerns. Administrators had a meeting last Wednesday, September 23rd, and heard from teachers and parents during a school board meeting on September 14th.
Brenner also says the district employs more adults per student than other school districts that are of similar size in Fargo, Minot, West Fargo and Bismarck, and several paraprofessional positions were vacant last school year.
Brenner’s memo says a new model is projected to save the district $1.5 million, as it deals with a projected enrollment decline that is between 70 to 100 students. This amount of an enrollment decrease would lead to a decline of $1 million in state funding for this school year.
Grand Forks Public Schools is also in the early planning stage of creating a dedicated Level D program, where special education students that are considered to be Level D would require a more restrictive teaching environment because of intense medical needs.
Most individual schools do not have the resources to provide the needs of Level D students.
Grand Forks Public School Board members will address the paraprofessional allocation model, as well as consider the 2027 budget and tax levy, and will hear reports from the finance and superintendent evaluation committees at tonight’s school board meeting. The meeting will start at 6pm at the Mark Sanford Education Center.
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