Associated School Boards of South Dakota

January04: NSBA Overview on Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act

The following information was provided by the National School Boards Association (NSBA). On Saturday, December 26, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, a $900 billion legislative package to assist with the COVID-19 national emergency. As part of the package, education received $82 billion in

January03: School Law webinar schedule set, registration price decreased

Expert school law information will be presented in eight webinars this year – at a lower rate! Join COSA and ASBSD as the great minds in school law in South Dakota cover eight legal topics affecting school districts in an hour-long webinar, which will also feature time for you to get your questions about

January03: Appoint your LAN member for the 2021 legislative session

Advocating on behalf of our public school system is an important job and ASBSD’s Legislative Action Network (LAN) steps up to take on that task. 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

January02: Free training videos available for board members

School board members seeking additional information about their role can review seven one-hour videos for FREE and earn 20 ALL points for each one watched! The School Board U Sundays videos are hosted by ASBSD Board Development Director Jim Holbeck and cover a variety of school board topics, including: Social Media Challenges: CLICK HERE;

December22: Proposals for one-time money for schools outlined

Along with the ongoing increase of 2.4 percent to state aid for next school year, there are three proposed one-time funding plans that have been outlined. In addition to the ongoing funding increase, Gov. Kristi Noem proposed $11 million in one-time money for student enrollment impacts from the COVID19 pandemic. The S.D. Department of

December21: Flexibility from state requirements provided

Flexibility from certain requirements has been provided to school districts for the 2020-21 school year. Gov. Kristi Noem signed an Executive Order earlier this month providing accredited schools with relief from certain state requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which include: Teacher evaluation. Suspension of the statutory provision of SDCL 13-42-34 requiring schools

December19: Additional fed dollars for public schools

The latest federal COVID-19 emergency relief fund includes $54 billion for K-12 public education. The $54 billion for K-12 public schools does not include a condition related to funding based on schools physically reopening and operating with in-person education. The legislation also extends the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) spending deadline to December 30, 2021

December18: 2020-21 Election Workshop Webinars upcoming

The 2020-21 School Board/Municipal Election Workshops will be held online starting in December. ASBSD in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s office and the South Dakota Municipal League are co-sponsoring webinar workshops covering all aspects of elections – from notices to the final canvass. The six webinars are free of charge and offered

December18: Public comment requested on ESSA addendum, waiver and amendment

The South Dakota Department of Education is seeking an addendum, waiver and amendment to its Every Student Succeeds Act State Plan and is seeking public comment. The proposed addendum creates a streamlined accountability process to address the impacts of COVID-19, while the waiver is specific to the 95 percent participation rate and school support

December08: Delegates approve resolutions and standing positions for 2021

Nearly 90 Delegates took part in the first-ever online Delegate Assembly last month. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 ASBSD Delegate Assembly took place on the Zoom online platform where 87 delegates approved 39 legislative resolutions and 12 standing positions, which set the Association’s legislative platform for the 2021 legislative session that begins