November 25, 2024 at 5:00 PM - DOUGLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION

Rationale:  The ASBSD Legislative Action Network is designed to activate designated members of local school boards to represent the legislative positions of the Association and their local board.

Every school board appoints one or more board members as its ASBSD Legislative Action Network (LAN) member and those members will periodically be contacted by ASBSD asking them to contact their legislator(s) and attend to legislative issues.

Rationale:  Through the OLDCC grant we received, part of the grant task list  was to update our Facilities Master Plan.  The scope of work includes, but is not limited to:

• Facilities Master Plan Update;
• Recommendation Regarding New and Existing Building Configuration;
• Facilities needs including remodel of existing space, additions to existing space, and building new space;
• Discussion regarding elementary boundaries.

We are in the beginning stages of this work with COOP Architecture.  As we move forward, we want to ensure that we have stakeholder involvement in the process.  Jared, Trista, Myself, Rob Schwartz (RSP), and Ellie will be planning the meetings and Ellie will be our facilitator.  Tonight I plan to share an overview of the tasks involved along with a beginning conversation of forming a building committee.   Building committee dates have been tentatively set for the following dates:

February 25   12:00-3:30 (In Person)
March 19        3:00-4:30 (Virtual)
April 23           12:00-3:30 (In Person)
May 14            3:00-4:30 (Virtual)
 Sept 10           12:00-3:30 (TBD)

Rationale:  In 2016, the SD Legislature passed a half-cent sales tax increase with the purpose of increasing teacher compensation in South Dakota.  Since that date, schools have been required to report compensation data (SDCL 13-13-73.6) in an effort to show that the additional dollars are being used for teacher compensation.  Each year is currently compared to FY2017 for comparison purposes.  

Douglas has always made it a priority to compensate our staff with the most competitive salary & benefits package as possible while still being fiscally responsible.  The attached report came from the State of South Dakota - we sorted it to show the Districts with the highest average teacher compensation (includes benefits) and the Districts with the highest average teacher salary (does not include benefits).

We also compared information from FY23 to FY24 both for Douglas and for the State average.

Rationale:  As we have given our presentation regarding growth needs, these are some of the financial questions that have arisen as part of that conversation.

Rationale:  The revised policy on expense reimbursements, updated by ASBSD, ensures that personnel and officials are reimbursed for authorized expenses aligned with district-approved travel allowances and state law. 

Rationale: 

This update to Policy DN: Surplus Property clarifies the processes and conditions for the sale, exchange, or disposal of school district property, including personal and real property, in alignment with state law. The revision provides specific guidelines for appraisals, advertising for bids, public auctions, and the transfer of property to other political subdivisions, ensuring transparency and compliance with South Dakota Codified Laws.

Rationale:  These revisions reflect organizational changes, incorporate current best practices in education, and provide clear performance expectations that support our district's mission of educational excellence.

Rationale:  Our SROs serve as a visible law enforcement presence on campus, provide educational programming on safety and citizenship, respond to campus incidents as needed, and foster positive relationships between law enforcement and our school community, with all costs and responsibilities detailed in the formal Memorandum of Understanding between the district and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.