Activities director pitches charging broadcasters for Grand Forks Public Schools sporting events

May 13—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks Public Schools could soon begin collecting revenue from broadcasts of its sporting events under a novel proposal.

Activities Director Mike Biermaier sought approval from the Grand Forks School Board to pursue a fee-for-service agreement with local radio and streaming broadcasters.

"We have a product in our games, and we know people want it," Biermaier said.

Board members gave the OK to go forward with the request-for-proposal process.

Historically, radio and television have broadcast school sporting events free of charge, and generally at the broadcaster's discretion.

Under the terms laid out in a request for proposal submitted to the board, broadcasters would purchase the non-exclusive streaming rights to a minimum of 25 high school athletic events a year, "with a preferred 75 game schedule."

Athletic events would include events with a significant local audience, like football and hockey, as well as less attended sporting events like swimming, track and golf.

Bidders are asked to submit proposed rates for purchasing streaming rights as well as details on how media partners would promote and market the school events.

The request for proposal also asks bidders to offer avenues for collaboration with students to participate in the broadcasting process.

The proposal bars broadcasters from selling viewership packages.

Biermaier said if the initial request for proposal is successful, the school district could go on to offer streaming rights for other school events, like theater productions or orchestra performances.

"Grandma so-and-so may not want to watch football, but she may want to watch her granddaughter in theater (productions)," Biermaier said.

Biermaier told the Herald the proposal was principally targeted at radio broadcasters, saying he didn't believe it was viable to license games to TV broadcasters at this time.

He said he'd spoken with local radio broadcasters who'd indicated an openness to paying for broadcast rights.

"The understanding is we have a product and are asking for money, and they're like, "yeah, you should," Biermaier said.

Toward the end of the meeting, School Board members met in executive session with Joshua Mailhot, principal of Ben Franklin Elementary School, to discuss the board's decision not to renew Mailhot's contract next year.

In an April 29 special meeting, board members voted 5-4 against renewing Mailhot's contract, after Brenner recommended the contract nonrenewal based on a half-dozen charges of poor conduct.

In other news:

* Elementary library and elementary and secondary music teachers appeared on hand with Chief Academic Officer Amy Bartsch to request a total of $577,769 over the next seven years to update and replace curriculum materials. The largest cost will be a one-time payment of $199,540 to license and purchase chorus textbooks and digital courses. The board will decide whether to approve the request at its next meeting.

* Existing computer science curriculum is expected to largely cover state cybersecurity education requirements for public school students, Bartsch and Executive Director of Career and Technical Education Eric Ripley told board members. Freshmen starting in the fall will be required to take an estimated 20- to 25-hour asynchronous cybersecurity course or take a computer science elective.

* Per an update from the district finance committee, Grand Forks Public Schools was approved for $1.9 million in new market tax credits in March to go to the near-$6 million funding gap for construction of the Career Impact Academy. The district was also formally awarded an expected $715,874 state grant.

* Also from the finance committee: total project costs for construction of Valley Middle School decreased again by $481,137 after an update from ICON Architectural Group and Construction Engineers, to $52.3 million.

* Board members approved a $451,710 bid from Innes Construction to replace the pressboard exterior of Winship Elementary School with fiber cement panels. Innes was the only bidder.