by ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson

As the 2024-25 school year winds down, a note of gratitude and heartfelt appreciation for the valuable work you are doing in your school districts.

At ASBSD, we are grateful for the people across the state in our schools who are supporting all of our students and educators. As you finish your school year strong and plan for a new one in 2025-26, may you reflect and continue to celebrate your students and staff successes.

You all have amazing accomplishments happening in your schools – share and celebrate them!

Recently, Associated School Boards of South Dakota hosted our annual Academic Excellence Banquet honoring the top 1% of South Dakota graduating seniors from their local high schools in conjunction with the governor’s office. We were honored to have Governor Larry Rhoden in attendance and to share a few words with the nearly 500 guests from across our great state.

With the celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and the announcement of South Dakota’s regional teacher of the year selections, we are appreciative for all of the dedicated educators doing the critical work of teaching and leading in the trenches every day.

I hope you enjoy our Highlights and Insights newsletter and find the information relevant and meaningful as we continue with the ASBSD Vision: To provide leadership that achieves excellence for South Dakota public education.

The 2025 legislative session brought a wide array of bills with implications on school board policy.

To address those changes in law, ASBSD has drafted three new policies and amended a number of others.

The sample policies can be reviewed at http://policy.asbsd.org. It is important to note these laws do not officially go into effect until July 1, 2025. Here is a summary of ASBSD’s policy work coming out of legislative session:

New Policies:

ABAD: Parents’ Rights (SB 113) – acknowledges school board policy and state law govern the school district and patrons while incorporating the main idea of the bill of supporting parental rights with the belief the parent and school need to collaborate to support student learning.

DFD: Gate Receipts & Admissions (SB 219) – notes the new state law, with some conditions, requires a school district to accept cash as payment for entrance to a school affiliated event while also permitting a credit card or other electronic payment should the district wish to utilize all payment options.

ECABB: Multi-Occupancy Room Use (HB 1259) – creates a policy within the parameters established by the state law on the use of multi-occupancy rooms in school facilities by individuals.

Amended Policies:

BD: School Board Meetings (SB 74) – modifies the policy with the new requirement in state law that school boards annually review the state’s open meetings law. The Attorney General’s office indicated the Conducting the Public’s Business in Public brochure that office publishes is the sufficient material to distribute and review. The new state law also requires the school board to include this review in its minutes. ASBSD suggests school boards complete this process at their July reorganization board meeting.

BDDG: Minutes (SB 74) – adds the requirement in the new state law that a school board’s meeting minutes include the board’s distribution and review of the Attorney General’s Conducting the Public’s Business in Public brochure at one board meeting, annually. ASBSD suggests school boards complete this process at their July reorganization board meeting.

FC: Facilities Capitalization Program (HB 1093) – adds the three dates on which a referendum election can be held for approval for a school to enter into an agreement or issue capital outlay certificates.

IGBA: Special Education and Related Services (SB 109) – applies the new process for implementing a new or revised section 504 plan, individualized family service plan or individualized education program for a student of an active-duty military member, which was codified in state law this year.

KLB: Public Complaints About the Curriculum or Instructional Materials (HB 1239) – adds specific language that judicial review is available on school board’s decision on curriculum or instructional materials, which was added in state law by the legislature, and that the decision of the superintendent or school board is final unless it is overturned by judicial review. Also changes the time period for a school materials challenge to one calendar year from three years. The change is proposed to address the continually used argument against schools in the legislature that the time period for challenges is too long.

IIAC: Library Materials Selection & Adoptions (HB 1239) – changes the time period for re-challenging school materials to one calendar year from three years. The change is proposed to address the continually used argument against schools in the legislature that the time period for challenges is too long. Also notes the decision of the superintendent or school board is final unless it is overturned by a judicial review, which was added in state law by the legislature.

JEA: Compulsory Attendance Ages (SB 71) – includes the new provision in law permitting a 17-year-old student to withdraw from school attendance with written consent from their parent, guardian or other custodian.

JEG: Exemptions From School Attendance (SB 71) – amends portions of the policy on students who are exempt from school attendance to align with the new state law.

Each sample policy can be found at http://policy.asbsd.org. Your district’s login and password information has been previously provided to your district’s administration. ASBSD suggests you discuss the sample policies with your district attorney.

For questions related to the policies, contact Director of Policy & Legal Services Naomi Cromwell at ncromwell@asbsd.org or at 605-773-2513.

Questions about the bills can be directed to ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson at hlarson@asbsd.org or at 605-773-2503, or ASBSD Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org or at 605-773-8382.

ASBSD and the Associate School Boards Protective Trust (ASBPT) recently said farewell and wished all the best to dedicated member of the team, Heidi Jennings.

For more than 27-years, Jennings provided devoted service to ASBSD and ASBPT as the Protective Trust Manager, overseeing many different and successful projects and always being a consummate professional and friendly face for our members.

“Heidi’s been an incredible member of the ASBSD and Protective Trust team,” ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson said. “The Association and our members are so lucky to have had the opportunity to work alongside her.”

In her more than two decades with ASBPT and ASBSD, Jennings played an instrumental part in the continuing development of both Associations, dedicatedly served our members and was an exemplary member of the staff.

“We’ll miss Heidi, and all she’s done for us,” Larson said. “We heartily thank her for her years of service and wish her all the best in her next adventure in life.”

by ASBSD Second Vice President Lisa Snedeker of Woonsocket

On Wednesday, April 30, board members from around the state gathered on zoom to participate in our final ASBSD Board engagement Webinar: Celebrating the Success of Your School District.

It was an uplifting opportunity to celebrate the bright spots in public education—the moments, programs, and people that make us proud to be part of our public schools.

When thinking of the many ways our students and staff make us proud, we learned a variety of ways this is accomplished:

• Board Meetings: (Names mentioned for this included having a designated place on the Board Agenda, including: Student Success Spotlight and Student & Staff Shout-Outs)
• Inviting students and staff to share all types of awards and accolades of their achievements
• BEST Award: Student Group is nominated and invited to present at the school board meeting
• Rewards (trips for students in programs all 4 years of high school, such as band/chorus going to New York)
• Live Local Day – Mayor invites board members, city council, commissioners, legislators, etc to an event where they share information about what their role is in the community (students who engage and ask questions can earn a reward/gold coin—see below)

Engaging Students/Catching Them Doing Behaviors Worth Celebrating

Impossible Shot: Students are nominated for showing kindness, being responsible, etc., then an all school assembly gathers to watch the nominated students attempt “the impossible shot” which consists of trying to bounce a tennis ball into a tube

Gold Coin Parties: Coins (paper coins with the nominee’s name and behavior (being respectful, helping someone, etc) on the paper with staff name and class or group. After 500 coins are collected, the class gets to have a “Gold Coin Party” which might be recess at the park, sno cones, treats, or extra minutes of something fun. Different goals can be set and rules devised for both individual, class or entire school “Gold Coin Parties”

Some ideas for Creative Motivation:

Brain Breaks: Opportunities to go outside, go for a walk, take a deep breath, etc

Donuts with Dads

Muffins with Moms

Grandparents Day

Health Fair

Science Fair (grades 6 and up—usually held in February)

Coffee Bar on the last Friday of the Month

Big/Little Dance following Prom (use Prom decorations with the shift to Dad/Daughter or Mother/Son, but Big/Little allows any adult/kid combination….fun event that can be used as a fundraiser

Family Night (can do a variety of educational activities, STEM, reading, games, contests)

Concerts (size of school may be a factor in the number and variety of concerts)

Theatre/Drama/Oral Interp Presentations

Art Night

How Do We Share our Successes?

Some schools have a Communication Director, others use their Journalism Class

News Articles

Social Media

“Proud of My School” Campaign

Hand-written note or email to the students or staff members

Some schools invite surrounding districts to share in hearing student presentations, parent education guest speakers, or parent workshops (cost effectiveness, outreach, connection to larger community can be achieved)

Thank you to everyone that shared – I am sure I didn’t capture everything, but I am inspired by the many ways we celebrate our students, staff, and school districts throughout South Dakota. There is great power in sharing our stories, our gratitude, and our visibility.

“Every child is one caring adult away from being a success story.” ~ Josh Shipp

Two legislative interim committees could produce proposals for the 2026 legislative session that have a significant effect on K-12 public schools.

A 16-member committee of legislators will comprise the Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force.

The scope of the study includes: The Comprehensive Property Tax Review Task Force shall conduct a comprehensive review of property tax policies and identify measures to provide significant and lasting tax relief, by focusing principally on state and local revenues and expenditures and the funding of K-12 education.

“We know how important property taxes are,” Sen. Chris Karr said, adding it’s how important to provide property tax “relief.”

“The goal of this tax force was laid out even before session. If we’re going to do something we need to take a comprehensive look at it.”

The 16-member committee is comprised of: Rep. Jon Hansen, Rep. Julie Auch, Rep. Les Heinemann, Rep. Peri Pourier, Rep. Scott Odenbach, Rep. Greg Jamison, Rep. John Hughes & Rep. Jana Hunt and Sen. Chris Karr, Sen. Sue Peterson, Sen. Taffy Howard, Sen. Red Dawn Foster, Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, Sen. Randy Deibert, Sen. Ernie Otten & Sen. Glen Vilhauer

“We’ll schedule a meeting for this committee in the near future,” Rep. Hansen said.

A significantly smaller committee, but that could be very impactful when it comes to federal funding for public schools, was also appointed, recently.

The Liaison Committee to the Department of Education is comprised of Co-Chair Sen. Kyle Schoenfish, Co-Chair Rep. Tony Randolph, Sen. Voight, Rep. Heather Baxter, Rep. Tesa Schwans.

Senators Schoenfish and Voight sit on the Senate Education Committee and Representatives Baxter and Schwans on the House Education Committee.

The scope of the study includes: The Liaison Committee to the Department of Education shall engage in regular contact with the South Dakota Secretary of Education, to identify any state impact resulting from funding or programmatic changes initiated by or on behalf of the United States Department of Education.

Sen. Chris Karr – who sat on the legislative board that appointed the committee members – said, “with all the changes that are happening at the federal level” the legislature needed “a group of people that are engaged” to help “prepare us (legislature) as we approach session next year of any changes that

ASBSD will follow each committee closely and provide updates as they become available.