NEWS & UPDATES
 Data Modernization Contract Signed
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has signed a contract with Infinite Campus and is moving into the implementation phase of the K-12 Data Modernization project. NDDPI will hold meetings with Infinite Campus and other stakeholders to discuss timelines, data needs, and system interconnections.
Infinite Campus is more than just a student information system.
The data modernization project will streamline and simplify North Dakota’s K-12 data systems by moving away from the separate systems we’ve been using, including STARS for reporting and PowerSchool as the student information system. It has often been challenging to get these systems to communicate effectively. With Infinite Campus, we are transitioning to a single enterprise system to provide better integration, making data management more efficient and seamless for districts. The new suite of integrated products includes:
- A learning management system that provides teachers with powerful digital learning tools;
- An online payment module that offers secure processing for fees, activities, and the school store;
- A messaging module that simplifies communication with staff, students, and parents through calls, texts, or emails; and
- An online registration module that streamlines enrollment and adapts to the needs of districts.
For more information, visit the Infinite Campus site: North Dakota, welcome to Infinite Campus · Infinite Campus.
Sign up for a live demonstration on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. CT: Webinar Registration - Zoom.
If you have any questions, contact Steve Snow at 701-328-2236.
Some Bills Start With Students
There’s no shortage of ideas in the Legislature this year—some of which are student class projects—that advocate for a state something. There are bills that ask to establish a state rock (Knife River flint), vegetable (rhubarb), troubadour (Mandan folk singer and composer Chuck Suchy), and waltz (“Dancing Dakota,” a Suchy composition).
Should they be approved, they will join a roster of official state things that has built up over the years, including the state beverage (milk), fruit (chokecherry), bird (Western meadowlark), dance (square dance), fish (Northern pike), and flower (wild prairie rose).
The requests are often difficult for lawmakers to turn down, but it does happen. Two years ago, legislators rejected a bill to name the Winchester Model 1876 as North Dakota’s state firearm because many of its owners used them to drastically reduce the number of buffalo on the Great Plains.
There May Be Such a Thing as a Free Lunch (and Breakfast)
The idea of providing free meals to all K-12 students, which the Legislature rejected two years ago, has gotten considerably more popular. HB1475 would provide free breakfast and lunch for every student attending a public, nonpublic, or tribal school, regardless of ability to pay. HB1553 is similar. HB1100 isn’t a free meals bill, but it would help retire “lunch debts” at schools that have provided meals to students who could not pay, and who had not applied for an existing program that offers free or reduced-price school meals to students from low-income families.
Want evidence of the strength of support for student meals at no cost to them? Check this.
Move Over IRA, HSA – It May Be Time for ESA
Education Savings Accounts, which generally would provide state funds to parents to spend on education options of their choosing for their children, are one of the Legislature’s more popular subjects. Here’s a quick run-through of what the Legislature is considering:
HB1540 and SB2303 would deposit an amount equal to 80 percent of the per-student state aid payment to school districts (almost $9,000) into an education savings account at the Bank of North Dakota, which a parent could use for nonpublic school tuition and fees, computer hardware, textbooks, and other education supplies.
HB1590 says a parent may drop up to $2,000 annually into a Bank of North Dakota “student education services account” for each of his or her children, which the bank would match, up to $1,000. The money could be used for education expenses, including career and technical education courses, as well as mental health assistance and “medical appointments necessary for an education benefit.”
HB1607 establishes “educational empowerment accounts” for parents to use in paying nonpublic school education expenses. Parents using the accounts would receive the entire per-student state aid payment to public schools, which is now $11,072 per student and is expected to rise in the next two years. Parents would get a debit card they could use to pay education expenses.
SB2400 would provide education savings accounts for public, nonpublic and homeschooled students, which would be administered by the superintendent of public instruction or an administrator hired by her. Annual state payments into education savings accounts would vary among public school students ($1,000), nonpublic school students ($1,000 to $4,000, depending on family income), and home-educated students ($1,000).
None of these bills has yet come up for a vote in the House or Senate.
 County Teacher of the Year Nomination Period Closes Feb. 9
NDDPI is accepting nominations for 2025 North Dakota County Teachers of the Year through Feb. 9. Any educator who holds a valid teaching license, serves in a role that requires a teaching license, and spends more than 50% of their time working directly with students is eligible to be nominated.
Nominees will receive a form to acknowledge their nomination and apply to be considered at the county level. County winners will have the opportunity to participate in the 2026 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Award application process.
Because we know some schools and districts have implemented their own Teacher of the Year program, we will accept school and district nominations through March. If you intend to name a Teacher of the Year for your school or district, please reach out to Jennifer Odell to provide an approximate timeframe. We will try to work with your schedules to ensure your awardees have enough time to apply to be considered at the county level. We hope to finish county scoring by mid-April.
You can find more information about the NDTOY program on our website: https://rebrand.ly/s4guzq5
 Updated "Launch My Life" Website Goes Live
The "Launch My Life" website has been updated! The website is a joint effort of the six North Dakota State agencies. These agencies focus on good transition practices for students with intellectual disabilities. Staff from each agency contribute their expertise to the website content in order to provide accurate and best-practice information. If you have any questions, email ndcpd@minotstateu.edu, and your inquiry will be forwarded to the right person.
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