At a time when only 50% of North Dakota teachers say they are likely to retire as a teacher, some legislators are working to silence teachers.
This would shift money away from public schools, deepening North Dakota’s teacher retention and recruitment crisis.
These radical changes could hit rural and small-town schools the hardest and cause neighborhood schools to close.
SB 2215
SB 2215 is a power grab that could strip away local control over education, harm students, and hurt teachers by shrinking the amount of time for negotiating contracts.
The bill could silence teachers and ignore those working to improve student readiness for the real world as well as teacher working conditions.
Taking away the voice of educators would leave schools without the high-quality teachers who students need, now more than ever.
HB 1281, HB 1369, SB 2288
In an already resource-tight legislative session, these bills could divert much–needed funding from public schools to private and homeschools.
Fewer dollars for public schools could mean larger class sizes and heavier workloads or even higher property taxes.
Diverting resources from classrooms would add to the stress and burnout driving teachers away from classrooms and their students.