PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n PCL Construction www.pcl.com PCL Construction, a leading North American contractor, completes over $8 billion USD in annual projects. Serving the Midwest since 1978, its Minneapolis District specializes in education, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. As a 100% employee-owned company, PCL fosters innovation and client-focused, costeffective solutions. n Xcel Energy www.xcelenergy.com Xcel Energy is a leading energy provider, dedicated to excellence. We make energy work better for customers, helping them thrive every day. That means delivering reliable and sustainable energy. All while keeping bills as low as possible. Every day, we strive to make interactions with us simpler, empowering and impactful. Over the past four years, the district has also made a significant financial commitment to retaining staff, increasing compensation by 19 percent. “We were seeing a mass exodus of teachers during and right after covid,” Dr. Brenner relays. “One of my goals when I became superintendent in 2018, which was shared by our 9 member School Board was to invest in capital, and to invest in people.” Going forward, Dr. Brenner stresses that academic excellence remains a top priority. While Grand Forks experienced less learning loss than many districts during the pandemic, he underscores the importance of continued progress. “Our strategic plan has a whole bucket built around academic performance,” he emphasizes, noting that clear benchmarks, board level accountability, and a districtwide focus on literacy, math, and graduation rates are guiding the efforts.“Those are the high level goals that we have,” he affirms. “Because at the end of the day, this is about teaching and learning.” 394 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01
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