Sara Berg, the former students in transition coordinator for Grand Forks’ public schools, has been given a national award for her work with homeless students.
The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, which is based in Atlanta, gave Berg its 2025 McKinney-Vento Liaison of the Year award Monday at the nonprofit organization’s annual conference, which is being held this week in Dallas.
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction nominated Berg for the award. Jen Withers, the agency’s state coordinator for the education of homeless children and youth, praised Berg’s ability to connect students and families with school and community resources.
“Sara consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, knowledge and innovation to ensure our most vulnerable students receive the support and opportunities they deserve,” Withers wrote in a letter recommending Berg for the award.
Berg said she was “in shock” about the honor and said it demonstrates the value of all McKinney-Vento liaisons in North Dakota as they help students and families “work through challenges and barriers to make sure children and youth experiencing homelessness have access to an education.”
“They’re amazing,” Berg said. “I don’t even have the words to describe the feeling, the gratitude that I have … We want our students to know we are there to help them succeed and that they can achieve their dreams.”
Berg’s work includes helping homeless students to get clothes, food, medical care, mental health counseling, rides to school and access to other needs. She is now the Medicaid program manager for the school district.
From 2018 to 2025, the number of homeless youth in the Grand Forks school district has ranged from 80 to 190 annually. This fall, the district has more than 7,600 students enrolled.
Berg “has a clear and compassionate understanding of the unique challenges faced by children and youth experiencing homelessness in our rural and inclement-weather state,” Withers wrote in her nomination letter. “She approaches every situation with empathy, dignity, and an unwavering commitment to removing barriers so each student can succeed academically, socially, physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
Berg praised the support of Withers and Michelle Siegfried, an NDDPI foster care administrator; a network of social workers in the Grand Forks district that monitor students’ progress; local nonprofit organizations that are quick to respond to requests for help; and the “faith and trust and support” of Matt Bakke, an assistant Grand Forks superintendent for elementary education, whom she said “allows me the flexibility to be on the ground, working directly with students and their families, which means we can continue to fight the good fight.”
The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law, which was first approved in 1987, that provides services and resources to homeless students and protects their right to public education. It provides federal money to states, which distribute it to local districts to support homeless students. It is named for former U.S. Reps. Stewart McKinney, R-Conn., and Bruce Vento, D-Minn.
In the last three budget years, between $250,308 to $272,422 in McKinney-Vento grants were distributed to North Dakota school districts.