Greg Clark

My personal life honestly revolves around public education. My wife is an elementary school librarian. Many of my friends and neighbors are teachers. I spent years studying education policy while earning my Master’s Degree. I love helping out at Scholastic book fairs, attending school events, and serving on the FPS Foundation board. I witness the daily triumphs and challenges happening in our public schools.

Professionally, I’m a data analyst with a decade of experience across multiple industries including education, healthcare, and finance. I work with stakeholders every day to provide data-driven insights and navigate complex datasets with multi-million dollar budgets.

First, improving student attendance. Students cannot learn if they aren’t in school. Yet 1 in 4 Fargo students are absent more than 10% of the days they’re supposed to be in school.

Second, addressing teacher recruitment and retention. According to a 2024 survey of North Dakota teachers, only 40% say they plan to retire as teachers. This is a sign teachers are overburdened, underpaid, and they’re burning out.

Third, revitalizing the district’s Strategic Plan. It is essential that every dollar spent and every decision made is focused on what’s best for our students, staff, and community.

The biggest challenge we face is maintaining financial stability. I’m opposed to increasing the mill levy. We simply have to do more with less. As the school board’s Planning Committee chairman, I spent the last year leading the district’s effort to reduce spending and bring the budget back into balance. However, I believe the budget represents an investment in our young people and Fargo’s future, so we can’t slash spending year after year. In order to invest in things that directly impact student achievement, we must rein in spending on less impactful things like runaway administrative and transportation costs.

Investments in facilities and academic programs must be made strategically and with an eye towards the future. The long-term financial stability of the school district is of critical importance. I’m proud to say that FPS has the healthiest fund balance (“reserves”) among large school districts in North Dakota. This has allowed us to stay solvent in tough times, maintain high bond ratings, and avoid deep cuts to academic programming. I’m committed to continuing this record of fiscal responsibility.