Where do Grand Forks candidates stand on schools and education?

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Accepted Answer

U.S. House, North Dakota At-Large. Julie Fedorchak (Republican, incumbent): No public statement found in our sources. Trygve Hammer (Democratic-NPL): He supports public schools and rural communities, and says Congress should work to restore and build agricultural markets. Helene Neville (Independent): No public statement found in our sources. Charles Tuttle (Independent): No public statement found in our sources. Superintendent of Public Instruction Unexpired 2-Year Term. Levi Bachmeier (Nonpartisan): Bachmeier said an annual teacher-bonus proposal he helped spearhead would be a meaningful step toward addressing the teacher shortage, while acknowledging that money alone will not solve every problem. He said state support for schools has not kept pace with inflation and that the share of the state budget going to K-12 education has declined. Tracy Layne Foss (Nonpartisan): Foss said teacher bonuses could help temporarily but would not address the underlying need for salaries that provide financial stability; she also cited burnout and heavy workloads as reasons educators leave. She said the state should fund K-12 schools adequately so school boards and administrators are not forced into difficult annual choices, and argued that the state should have planned for the expiration of federal pandemic funding. Foss supports locking up cellphones during the school day. For classroom laptops and other technology, she favors balancing educational benefits with concerns about addictive use and considering limits for younger students. State Senate, District 17. Katie Benton (Democratic-NPL): Benton said she supports strong public education and criticized the Legislature’s planning, arguing that her opponent’s actions undermine public education. Jonathan Sickler (Republican): At the 2026 forum, Sickler and Benton both suggested increasing career and technical education programming. State House, District 17. Don Aandal (Democratic-NPL): Aandal said education should be the top concern, particularly changes affecting young people as artificial intelligence grows. Reed Johnson (Republican): Johnson suggested freezing and later forgiving certain Bank of North Dakota student loans for teachers who earn degrees in the state university system and commit to teaching in North Dakota, as a way to support teacher recruitment and retention. Mark Sanford (Republican): Sanford said North Dakota teacher pay had improved in the past but had fallen behind in recent years as other states increased pay. State House, District 43. Jill T Chandler (Republican): She says education is her top concern, calling for education to be fully funded and improved to meet students’ needs. She supports educational options for families and says they should be available beyond those who can afford them. Mike Holmes (Republican): He says his focus is maintaining and expanding opportunities in North Dakota, with interests in education, energy, agriculture and economic development. He particularly supports partnerships between universities and private industry to advance research, innovation, workforce development and economic diversification. Lukas Arthur Maughan (Democratic-NPL): He says government should support people’s needs and provide services and opportunities, and argues that public education and the state budget should not be disadvantaged while tax breaks go to AI data centers. Tyler York (Democratic-NPL): He says public education should receive stable, predictable state funding that reflects actual per-student costs and covers a larger share of special-education expenses, reducing pressure on local property taxes. He also opposes using public money to fund nonpublic education. State House, District 42 (2-year unexpired term). Nicole Derenne (Democratic-NPL): Her campaign calls for increased K–12 funding, especially for special education, continued strong higher-education funding, and support for online and workforce education. Connie Osowski (Republican): Supports teacher bonuses but questioned whether proposals would cover rising health-insurance costs; said she would push for teachers to receive benefits at the same level as state employees.