At their August meeting, members of the ASBSD Board of Directors approved changes to the Association’s legislative resolutions and standing positions recommended by the ASBSD Policy and Resolutions Committee.
The resolutions and standing positions dictate the legislative direction of ASBSD and are voted on by member districts at Delegate Assembly. This year’s Delegate Assembly has been postponed until Wednesday, December 7.
Below you will find a review of each change made to a resolution or standing position and draft form PDF’s can be found on the Publications and Forms page.
Resolutions (click to view PDF):
A4: South Dakota Academic Content Standards and State Assessment Exams – recommend amendment
Replaced “Common Core” with “South Dakota” in title and resolution and updated rationale to align with focus on South Dakota Content Standards.
A6: School Employee Compensation – recommend amendment
Updated language in resolution and rationale to correspond with legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session.
B1: Students Receiving Alternative Instruction (Home School Instruction) – recommend amendment
Replaced all references of “public school exemption” with “alternative instruction” to match legal term.
B4: Public Funding for Non-Public Education – recommend amendment
Updated language in resolution to correspond with legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session.
B5: School Boundaries – recommend delete
Resolution is no longer needed because legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session resolved the matter.
B6: Private School Scholarship Program – recommend adopt
The passage of Senate Bill 159 during the 2016 legislative session created a private school scholarship program that is non-transparent, financially built on an antiquated state education funding formula and, in the opinion of ASBSD, is unconstitutional and the new resolution addresses the Association’s opposition.
B7: School District Identification Symbols – recommend adopt
During the 2016 legislative session a bill was introduced prohibiting school districts from using team names or mascots that are deemed offensive and the same bill or legislation similar could be introduced during the 2017 legislative session. The resolution states ASBSD’s stance that this decision lie with the local school board, who should seek input from the community on the matter.
B8: Use of Bathroom, Locker Room and Other Facilities – recommend adopt
House Bill 1008 was passed by the legislature, but vetoed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard during the 2016 legislative session; a similar piece of legislation may be introduced during the 2017 session. The resolution supports local school boards and districts to develop a policy related to facility usage that best fits their community.
B9: Legal and Financial Protection for Compliance with State Law – recommend adopt
In an instance where complying with a state law would put a school district at risk of facing legal action and/or financial ramifications, the resolution states its support for the South Dakota Attorney General’s office to represent the district in litigation and indemnify the district of any financial liability incurred.
B10: Four-Day School Week Referral – recommend adopt
The new resolution supports potential legislation allowing only school boards to refer a decision of the implementation or repeal of a four-day school week to voters.
C1: School Funding – recommend amendment
The resolution would be amended to encompass each new and updated provision of the state’s new education funding formula and the innovative education funding options package that accompanied the passage of the half-cent sales tax increase.
C4: Use of Capital Outlay Funds – recommend delete
Resolution is no longer needed as it is covered in resolution C1: School Funding.
C5: Other Revenue – recommend delete
Resolution is no longer needed as it is covered in resolution C1: School Funding.
C6: Capital Outlay Growth Limitations – recommend delete
Resolution is no longer needed as it is covered in resolution C1: School Funding.
C7: Three Percent Index Factor – recommend delete
Resolution is no longer needed as it is covered in resolution C1: School Funding.
(NEW) C4: School Funding – Two Year Enrollment Averaging – recommend adopt
With the passage of Senate Bill 131 during the 2016 legislative session, the provision of the state aid formula that allowed for two year averaging of school district enrollment was eliminated and the resolution supports reinstating the provision.
D1: Sales Tax Revenue – recommend amendment
Language updated based on the passage of the half-cent sales tax increase, dedicated to public education funding and teacher salaries, during the 2016 legislative session.
F2: Federal Mandates – recommend amendment
Language updated based on changes to federal public education law.
G1: ESEA Reauthorization – recommend delete
Resolution no longer needed due to the adoption of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which supplants ESEA.
G3. School Nutrition – recommend amendment
Resolution updates language supporting flexibility in federal law for state and local food service in schools.
G5. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The resolution supports the new federal law passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in December, 2015.
Standing Positions (click to view PDF):
Student Achievement – recommend amendment
Minor additions made in second and fifth paragraphs to update language.
Native American Indian Education – recommend amendment
Included “Native” with American Indian to accurately reflect the demographic and updated the position to correspond with legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session.
Public School Choice – recommend amendment
Add “Public” to the standing position’s title.
Open Government and Transparency – recommend amendment
Added a line in the first paragraph to correspond with legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session and in the third paragraph to support possible legislation that would allow school boards the local option to post official minutes and public notices online.
School Finance – recommend amendment
Added lines to correspond with the new education funding formula’s language.
Investment in Education – recommend amendment
Deleted two lines from the position to correspond with legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session that provided a new funding source for public education.