Highlights & Insights
by Tyler Pickner
Director of Communications
The ASBSD Board of Directors voted at their August meeting to join the coalition opposing Initiated Measure 28 (IM 28).
The initiated measure would eliminate the tax on anything sold for human consumption and will be on November’s general election ballot.
“IM 28 will have significant negative impacts on public education funding in South Dakota,” ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson said.
South Dakota’s Legislative Research Council estimated if IM 28 passes “there could be a total reduction in state revenues between $133.6 and $646.2 million, depending on the interpretation of the phrase, ‘human consumption.’”
Click here to read the LRC’s fiscal note on IM 28.
Following LRC’s presentation of their fiscal analysis of IM 28, Rep. Tony Venhuizen said, “If the people vote for this, they need to know that when we come during January, we are not going to be doing increases for anything. We’re going to make significant budget cuts.”
The fiscal impact and ramifications on school funding are what lead to the ASBSD Board of Directors vote to join the coalition opposing IM 28.
You can learn more about negative impacts of IM 28 and the coalition’s opposition to it in these links:
Please feel free to share this information in your district and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to ASBSD: https://asbsd.org/about/contact-us/.
by Jessica Filler
Director of Policy & Legal Services
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear…there have been questions about whether or not ASBSD plans to discontinue providing policy services to our members.
This cannot be further from the truth. Rest assured policy services provided by ASBSD will continue.
As a member, you have the benefit of free access to all of our sample policies, which you can access with a username and password assigned to your school district. In my role as director of policy and legal services, I am available for any questions you may have regarding policies and our sample policy services. We also have two fee and subscription based custom policy manual development options.
For more information, please visit our website: https://asbsd.org/services/policy-services/.
Background Check Policy.
Schools have been undergoing CJIS audits about CHRI information related to background checks, and the audit findings have recommended changes to school board policy language. In that regard, I’ve made a few adjustments to the language of our sample background check policy and policy exhibit (Policy GCDB and GGCDB-E(1)). I’d urge you to update your background check policies if you haven’t already done so. No one wants to get dinged on an audit.
Open Enrollment Form.
The SD Department of Education has changed the open enrollment application form. This form is required by statute to be used for all school open enrollment requests. The main changes to the form removes the section containing a box to check yes or no regarding whether or not their child is on an IEP, and adds a Release of Information section authorizing the current school district to release the student’s cumulative education record, which may include special education/504 plans along with other educational records. If you are still using the old form that predates February 2024, please update it accordingly. Here is a link to the current form and more: https://doe.sd.gov/openenrollment.aspx.
Title IX.
The US Department of Justice filed a request with the US Supreme Court to allow enforcement of portions of the new Title IX regulations. The USSC denied the request, leaving in place the injunctions which prohibit enforcement of the new Title IX regulations. As such, the new Title IX regulations are completely blocked from taking effect in states that include South Dakota, at least for now.
by Holly Nagel
ASBSD Chief Financial Officer & Director of ASB Protective Trust Services
As the first bells of a new school year ring, staff and students are back in the classrooms which, for many, means more screen time. Electronic devices can bring many learning opportunities but can also effect mental and physical health.
What is the digital well-being in your district?
Research shows individuals report spending six to seven hours a day engaging in recreation screen time. Health experts recommend two hours or less of screen time daily. Excessive screen time can lead to mental and physical health issues that include sleep problems, eye strain, depression, anxiety and more.
Some ways to increase your digital wellness include:
- Set time limits for content categories which will remind you when it’s time to get offline, such as social media, so they don’t interfere with the necessities.
- Turn off notifications to limit distractions.
-
Unsubscribe from apps or emails that fill up your inbox.
Limit screen time before bed.
Get up and move.
Districts that are a member of the ASBPT health fund can encourage staff to utilize free mental health sessions through Well365 while their family members can benefit from mental health assistance through Wellmark. Contact me with questions regarding mental health benefits offered through the ASBPT Health Fund.
by Tyler Pickner
Director of Communications
The ASBSD Board of Directors met in August with the passing of the gavel highlighting the meeting.
Garret Bischoff of the Huron School Board takes over as ASBSD President for the 2024-25 year following the completion of Louann Krogman’s (White River School Board) term as President.
Shane Roth of the De Smet School Board rose to the First Vice President seat and Lisa Snedeker of the Woonsocket School Board, and a former ASBSD President, was elected to the Second Vice President role.
“We’re very happy to have Garret as ASBSD President, as well as Shane and Lisa continuing in board leadership roles,” ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson said. “This is a very experienced group who will undoubtedly continue the great leadership and direction of ASBSD.”
“Everyone with ASBSD wants to thank Louann for her leadership and commitment to the Association and public education,” Larson added.
The ASBSD Board also welcomed three new Directors in Jamie Clapham of the Rapid City School Board representing ASBSD’s Western Region 10,000 and Above enrollment category, Dan Cronin of the Pierre School Board representing the Central Region 1,400-9,999 enrollment category and Mark Winegar of the Vermillion School Board representing the Southeast Region 700-1,399 enrollment category.
“It’s exciting to have Jamie, Dan and Mark join the ASBSD Board as they bring new and experienced voices to the group,” Larson said. “We’re looking forward to working with all three and grateful for their willingness to serve.”
ASBSD Board members also approved the legislative resolutions and standing positions that will be presented and voted on at Delegate Assembly on Friday, November 22. More information will be provided on Delegate Assembly in the near future.
Click here to download the resolutions and click here to download the standing positions.
The board also approved joining the coalition opposing Initiated Measure 28, which you can read above.
