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Letters to the Editor

Worker protection structure under threat

Landis Larson, Bismarck This week is Workers Memorial Day, April 28th, a day when working families, union members and labor leaders come together to remember each worker killed, injured and sickened from their jobs, and to organize for an end to these preventable deaths of our brothers and sisters. This is a time for us to organize for a safer future for all workers. The workplace protections we have today exist because workers organized, fought and died for them. Yet each day in the United States, 360 workers lose their lives due to their job — 14 a day from injury alone — and ...

Veto would protect public schools

Molly Haagenson Grand Forks I am writing to urge Governor Kelly Armstrong to veto HB 1540, which would send public dollars to private schools. Over the past few months, I have grown increasingly frustrated with our state legislature for pushing bills (at one point, there were six!) that would benefit only a small minority of North Dakotans at the expense of our public education system. As a child of a lifelong educator, the lack of support for public education by our state legislature is extremely disappointing. Let me be clear: the issue isn’t private schools. I’ve been a ...

HB 1540 jeopardizes public schools

Monica Klein Mandan School has always been my safe place. That’s one of the reasons I became a kindergarten teacher. And I believe HB 1540, which would send public dollars to private schools, would jeopardize our public schools. That’s why I’m writing to urge the governor to veto HB 1540. When I was a teenager, my dad unexpectedly became a single father. He did his best and took good care of me. However, he was busy and had struggles of his own. Therefore, school became my safe place: my teachers made sure I stayed on track; the school nurse gave me a break when I came in ...

State declares war on ethics

David Schwalbe, Bismarck Since 2018 when Article XIV became part of the constitution, there has been a mad scramble by our politicians to do away with the Ethics Commission by passing unconstitutional legislation to make it unable to carry out its constitutional duties. Article XIV clearly states the Ethics Commission must be adequately funded. It has never been. The sessions in 2021 and 2023 were no better with the leadership of the legislature using the same underhanded techniques to hamstring the Ethics Commission. Now we are in the 2025 legislative session and the anti-ethics ...

DEI initiatives vital in education

Julie Schuler, Sheyenne Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have been vital in creating more just and inclusive schools. As an educator with 43 years of experience — 18 as an elementary principal — I’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact DEI has on students, families, and communities. My career included teaching students with disabilities and upper-elementary students navigating complex social and emotional challenges. As a principal, I observed how systemic biases disproportionately affected minority students, especially Native American students in our ...

Education Department needed to ensure monitoring

Ann Porter, Grand Forks I recently contacted Representative Julie Fedorchak to express my concerns about proposals to phase out the U.S. Department of Education. While I appreciate her response, I remain troubled by the practical implications of this initiative.​ Congress can appropriate federal education funds, but without a centralized agency to administer and oversee them, how can we ensure they are used as intended? The Department of Education plays a vital role in monitoring spending, safeguarding civil rights, and protecting access to quality education for low-income ...