Sep. 29—GRAND FORKS — Despite nationwide teacher shortages, Grand Forks schools are now retaining teachers at rates comparable to pre-pandemic numbers.
A July 2025 analysis by the Learning Policy Institute revealed that
1 in 8 teaching positions nationwide is either unfilled
or filled by teachers lacking certification.
While the Grand Forks Public School District continues to deal with staff shortages, Griffin Gillespie, GFPS director of human resources, said turnover rates were the lowest since the 2017-2018 school year. He attributed the new trend to competitive teacher pay, new state-implemented programs, and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic
“We’re actually sitting pretty good in Grand Forks,” Gillespie said. “In 2023, we did invest significantly in our teachers’ salaries.”
He said the district was lagging behind comparative districts and the salary bump “has put us towards the top. … I think the increase in teacher pay has helped significantly.”
A 92% retention rate follows several years of high staff turnover, which district leaders attribute to the impact of COVID-19, chronic student absenteeism, and an increase in classroom behavioral issues.
To remedy these stressors, the state and district enacted a number of policies to lower the turnover rate and combat teacher shortages.
As of July 2025,
student teachers in North Dakota who have completed all coursework
but have not graduated yet can be the Teacher of Record in classrooms — if the school has attempted to find a fully qualified teacher and has been unable to do so. Gillespie said this new policy has “helped tremendously” in combating teacher shortages in Grand Forks.
The district has also created an Attendance Task Force to address chronic student absenteeism, which Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Matt Bakke cited as a teacher stressor, and the district has hired a director of behavioral health and wellness to address the mental and emotional needs of students.
However, while the district has lowered turnover rates, it is still facing significant shortages. Gillespie said the shortage is especially apparent when it comes to finding substitutes for teachers who may be out. The district has aimed to rectify this by designating substitutes for each school who will fill in for any role on that campus. However, some spots still remain unsolved.
“We could always use more, because I think probably a good 20% to 25% of the vacancies are unsolved on a daily basis,” he said.
Gillespie also said he worries that nationally, fewer young people will be interested in pursuing educational degrees. In that case, even with low turnover rates, hiring could be difficult for schools across the country, including in Grand Forks.
“With the teacher shortage … teachers are stressed and burned out,” he said. “It really worries me that people will see them and not want to go into that field. So I can definitely say that’s probably happening around the country.”
Despite these concerns, Gillespie expressed optimism regarding the district’s current staffing and retention.
“You never know when you might have a mass exodus of people that leave, like we did a few years ago. … But I think right now, we feel pretty good where we’re at,” he said.