February13

Tech, certificate and hours bills advance

Three bills supported by ASBSD made it through House Education on Wednesday.   House Bill 1005, which appropriates $2.85 million for technology-oriented professional development to be used for teacher compensation, passed and was referred to House Appropriations on 15-0 vote.   The bill was previous killed by the committee, but was brought back for reconsideration

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February09

Will school starts be mandated? NO.

The debate on school start date ended on Thursday.   House Bill 1093, which prohibits public schools from starting a school term before the last Monday in August, died on the House floor after a 29-40 vote.   ASBSD opposed the bill.   “South Dakota is a local control state,” Rep. Jacqueline Sly said during

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February07

Activities suspension bill passes Senate

Senators voted 32-1 to advance a bill that would revise the suspension requirements for students participating in extracurricular activities that are convicted of a drug related offense.   Senate Bill 113 would impose a thirty calendar day suspension and would make the student ineligible for two games/activities upon completion of the suspension for a first offense.

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February06

Will school start dates be mandated?

Start dates for schools could be up to the legislature beginning next year.   House Bill 1093 would prohibit public schools from starting a school term before the last Monday in August. House State Affairs committee members voted 8-5 to advance the bill to the House floor on Wednesday.   ASBSD opposes the bill.  

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May30

Policy Matters Preview: SDOHS school safety assessment

ASBSD’s Policy Matters publication will be available tomorrow. The May edition centers around school safety. Below is an article on the school safety assessment completed by the South Dakota Office of Homeland Security.   Being vigilant of student safety is an ongoing task for school districts and the South Dakota Office of Homeland Security offers

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May02

Senator Johnston and Senate Bill 96

District 12 Sen. Mark Johnston announced his resignation from the legislature Wednesday – making him the third legislator to do so along with District 16 Rep. Patty Miller and District 25 Rep. Jon Hansen.   Sen. Johnston concluded his term as a legislator by collaborating with educators, introducing and championing a piece of legislation, Senate

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April25

A safe and sound strategy

Tuesday offered a reminder of the need for emergency policies. Belle Fourche’s South Park Elementary School was placed in a lockdown state after gun-shot like sounds were reported in the area. The noises turned out to be nothing more than a vehicle backfiring in the area and students were in no imminent danger, but swift

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April11

Negotiation resources provided by ASBSD

In the most recent Wade’s Welcome video, Executive Director Wade Pogany noted two things that were right around the corner: springtime and negotiations between school boards and district staff.   Pogany’s optimism on springtime weather arriving in South Dakota was delayed thanks to this week’s snow storm, but the focus on negotiations remains and ASBSD

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March30

Affordable Care Act FAQ

As the Affordable Care Act continues its staggered march towards implementation, the number of questions on how the law affects a school district’s health insurance plan remain, almost staggeringly, unanswered.   This is where the Associated School Board Protective Trust steps in. We’ve compiled a list of questions, ranging from general to specific in nature,

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