GRAND FORKS – Students who participate in Grand Forks Public Schools’ music programs came to the Grand Forks City Council meeting Monday night to say the Pledge of Allegiance and thank Mayor Brandon Bochenski for proclaiming March as Music in Our Schools Month.

For more than 30 years, March has been designated as Music in Our Schools Month by the National Association of Music Education, which encourages communities to focus on music education. Monday’s proclamation at the council meeting comes after a contentious Grand Forks School Board meeting last week, during which

dozens voiced their concerns about proposed cuts to the music programs at the school district.

The cuts are part of a plan approved by the School Board to increase the district’s depleted general fund reserves. The announcement of the cuts caught many students and teachers off guard. More than 80 people signed up to speak against the proposal, and the meeting lasted some four hours.

Monday evening at the City Council meeting, several students thanked Bochenski for his proclamation.

“I want to start off by expressing my deep gratitude to Mayor Bochenski for this declaration,” Red River High School student Eli Zerr said. “It is really important to recognize the hard work by our music educators in Grand Forks … and the important role that (music education) plays in all of our education experiences.”

The president of UND’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education, Bria Smithberg, also came to the meeting and thanked the mayor for the proclamation.

“We know how important music is to us and our future students,” Smithberg said. “We are so grateful for the (council) for acknowledging March as official Music in Our Schools month.”

The proclamation says music education is an important part of a well-rounded education for students and that the city “joins our students, educators and community in celebrating the power of music education.”

Three programs at Grand Forks Public Schools face cuts under the proposed plan, including music, German and SAIL

(Social and Academic Intervention Learning). Final decisions on the cuts won’t occur until later in the year. The goal is to have the general fund reserve to be at least 15% of annual operating expenses by the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

In other news Monday, the council:

• Approved $3,338 in property tax exceptions for three properties in the city. Under North Dakota Century Code, exemptions in increases due to remodels and renovations are allowed for buildings over 25 years old and if the market value increased by 10% or $5,000.

• Approved the restructuring of the city’s Planning and Community Development departments

  . The plan is to consolidate them into one department under one director, current City Planner Ryan Brooks. Council member Ken Vein dissented, due to his disagreement about the department head being a contract position and not a civil service position.

• As the Jobs Development Authority, approved the lease with LM Wind Power for the building at 1580 S. 48th St. The old lease expired at the end of the month. The new lease lasts three years and allows LM Wind Power to rent the entire building. 

Voigt covers city government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.