by Heath Larson

ASBSD Executive Director

As we encourage our school districts to share and celebrate their successes, the recent Teacher of the Year banquet sent a resounding reminder of the high-quality public education our students in South Dakota receive.

I had the honor of attending the South Dakota Teacher of the Year Banquet on Thursday, September 26. The SD Department of Education prepared an outstanding program. We have a plethora of top notch teachers doing wonderful work in schools across our state with a handful of those individuals, family members, and guests present at this special event. Each teacher recognized demonstrated incredible contributions and connections to the students they educate, schools they work in, and communities they serve. The videos created and shared of the nominees for SD Teacher of the Year were, in my opinion, moving.

Congratulations to all of the individual teachers that were honored last evening:

• Albert Her Many Horses, Todd County Middle School – Milken Award winner (announced December 2023)
• SD History Teacher of the Year: JoAnne Bohl, West Central (announced last spring)
• George Hawkins, outgoing SD Teacher of the Year: Jefferson High School/Sioux Falls School District
• Region 1 and 2025 Teacher of the Year: Amy Verhelst, Sioux Valley Elementary
• Region 2: Erin Rieff, Brandon Valley Middle School
• Region 3: Megan Wilson, Sandborn Central High School
• Region 4: Christy Saltsman, Gettysburg School District
• Region 5: Michelle Abbott, West Elementary School/Spearfish School District

The National Blue Ribbon Schools in South Dakota were honored for their outstanding achievements in education. A shout out to all associated with Lincoln Elementary School/Aberdeen School District, Lennox Elementary School/Lennox School District, and Warner High School/Warner School District for receiving this prestigious recognition.

Congratulations to the Title I Distinguished Schools recognized at the banquet for their impressive academic accomplishments: Longfellow Elementary/Mitchell School District and Kadoka Elementary School/Kadoka School District.

We are proud of our public schools in South Dakota and appreciate the dedication, industriousness, and commitment from the students, educators, school boards, families, and communities. These teachers and schools have demonstrated excellence in education and are shining examples of the great work being done across all of South Dakota as we celebrate their contributions in molding future generations.

by Tyler Pickner

ASBSD Director of Communications

Last month, the ASBSD Board of Directors voted to join the coalition in opposition of Initiated Measure 28, which proposes the elimination of sales tax on items for “human consumption” and will be the General Election ballot in November.

The Board made the decision to oppose the measure based on the significant negative impacts on public education funding the measure’s passage would surely result in with the estimated total reduction in state revenues between $133.6 and $646.2 million.

After hearing the estimate, 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.”

ASBSD has drafted a sample school board resolution opposing IM 28 for your school board’s consideration.

Download the sample resolution here.

At this time, 75 local government bodies (municipalities, townships and counties) in South Dakota have passed resolutions opposing the measure and more are expected to before the General Election in November. If your board chooses to pass the resolution, it does not need to be reported to ASBSD, but can be shared with us, if you’d like.

In addition, ASBSD has multiple resources available to provide you additional information on IM 28 and answer any questions that may arise, which include:

• Vote No on IM 28 Video
• Editorial on IM 28 from Rep. Mortenson & Sen. Crabtree
• IM 28 handout
• IM 28 FAQ
• LRC Fiscal Note on IM 28

If you need any further information or have questions about IM 28, the sample resolution or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact ASBSD: https://asbsd.org/about/contact-us/.

by Holly Nagel

ASBSD Chief Financial Officer & Director of ASB Protective Trust Services

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but any month is a good month for preventative care office visits and screenings. Annual preventative care visits are an important part of any wellness plan. A colonoscopy, lipid panel, mammogram and/or PSA are all points of discussion individuals should have with their primary care provider.

In most cases, an individual’s health insurance coverage offers a preventative care visit at no cost to the member. Early detection is key to successful treatment for diagnosis of long-term conditions including cancer, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.

We are thrilled to see that the members of the ASBPT health benefits pool average 12.9% above benchmark for preventive office visits. Our goal is to increase this percentage by encouraging all members to schedule an annual preventive office visit and complete the recommended screenings. While the screenings may sometimes feel uncomfortable, they can be crucial to an individual’s overall wellness.

ASBPT offers a variety of wellness opportunities for member districts and their staff. From the Wellmark BCBS network to partnering with Well365 for in-district flu shots, biometric screenings, no cost mental health counseling and wellness coaching/platform.

Together with your primary care provider, ASBPT continues to focus on the wellness of South Dakota public schools and their members.

Please reach out to myself or Heidi Jennings with questions or comments regarding the Associated School Boards Protective Trust health, property/liability and workers’ compensation funds.

Join new ASBSD Executive Director Heath Larson and fellow school leaders to discuss many public education topics on Wednesday this fall as part of the Learning with Larson meeting schedule.

Come have a meal and connect with fellow board members, superintendents, business managers and other school leaders to talk about ASBSD’s resolutions and standing positions, the 2025 legislative session, and how we can work together to advocate for public education.

In-person events will have a meal served prior to the meeting and a cost of $20 per registrant with the Zoom meeting on November 13th being free.

Please note the start time next to each event, which will be held on and at:

· Wednesday, October 2 in Aberdeen (1300 S 3rd St.) at 6 p.m. (Central)

· Wednesday, October 9 in Huron (100 4th St. SW) at 5:30 p.m. (Central)

· Wednesday, October 16 in Box Elder (561 Briggs St.) at 5:30 p.m. (Mountain)

· Wednesday, October 23 in White River (501 3rd St.) at 6 p.m. (Central)

· Wednesday, October 30 in Brandon (301 S Splitrock Blvd) at 5:30 p.m. (Central)

· Wednesday, November 6 in Timber Lake (500 Main St.) at 6 p.m. (Mountain)

· Wednesday, November 13 on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. (Central)

To register for an event, click on the link above that corresponds with the meeting of your choice and follow these instructions (click link to open): ASBSD Event Registration Information for Individuals, to complete registration. There will be a $15 cancellation fee if registration is not cancelled more than 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Board members participating will earn 20 ALL points!

If you have questions about the meetings or need assistance with registration, please contact Director of Communication Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org or at 605-881-3791 or 605-773-8382.

ASBSD’s 2024 Delegate Assembly is scheduled for Friday, November 22 in Fort Pierre at the Drifters Event Center beginning at 1 p.m. (Central) and EACH member district should appoint a board member to represent their school board and vote on positions that help set our legislative direction.

Click the links to review ASBSD’s proposed resolutions and standing positions for the 2025 legislative session.

Each resolution or standing position with a change has an explanation of the proposed change underneath it in red.

The Delegate appointment form is online and can be found by CLICKING THIS LINK and completing the information requested for the school board member your board has appointed. Or, if you’d prefer, you can forward your delegate’s name and contact information to tpickner@asbsd.org.

School boards appointing a board member as a Delegate will earn 25 ALL points!

Member districts can also submit a new or amended resolution or standing position, or suggest deletion of a resolution or standing position, by completing the 2024 ASBSD Delegate Assembly Member Resolution-Standing Position Form, which can be found by CLICKING HERE.

If you have questions about submitting a delegate or Delegate Assembly, please contact Director of Communications Tyler Pickner at tpickner@asbsd.org or at 605-773-8382 or at 605-881-3791.