Members of the ASBSD Board of Directors approved changes to the association’s legislative standing positions and resolutions recommended by the Policy and Resolutions Committee at the August board meeting.
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 is set for Friday, Nov. 22.
It is essential for member districts to appoint a delegate and have them attend the assembly to vote on the resolutions and standing positions.
Below you will find a review of each change made to a resolution or standing position – those that were not changed are not noted. A downloadable PDF of the resolutions and standing positions documents can be found on the Publications and Forms page at www.asbsd.org.
Note: the current resolutions and standing positions are only in draft form. ASBSD is accepting suggested changes to current resolutions and standing positions or additional ones until Tues. Oct. 22.
Resolutions (click to view PDF):
A. 4: Open Enrollment – Date for Approval – resolution was deleted.
Legislation was passed during the 2012 session that set a deadline for open enrollment requests to be submitted to districts for approval.
A. 5: Common Core Academic Standards – resolution was amended.
In line one of the rationale, the word “national” was deleted. In addition, the following sentences were added: “The new standards were created in 2009 in a joint effort of the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to increase rigor and academic expectations for students in Language Arts and Math and thus a stronger U.S. workforce. Common Core standards are recognized as South Dakota state standards in Language Arts and Math, however implementation of the standards (how to teach them) is still a matter of local decisions.”
The additional phrases provide background information on the standards and exhibit the local control aspect still provided districts by the standards.
B. 2: Appointments to Commissions – resolution was deleted.
The need for a resolution was not necessary to support the appointment of school board members to statewide commissions.
E. 1: Continuing Contract – resolution was amended.
In line two of the resolution, the word “deficient” was replaced by “unsatisfactory” to better fit with the language of the state evaluation system.
Standing Positions (click to view PDF):
Student Achievement – standing position was amended.
In paragraph three of the position, the phrase “and skills students must possess” was replaced by “interactive communication to engage learners” to fit with the other skills listed.
Indian Education – standing position was amended.
In paragraph five of the position, the first sentence: “While grant funding can be a powerful incentive, state leaders must recognize that effective programs deserve reliable funding streams,” was deleted because the final sentence is sufficient.
Health & Wellness – standing position was amended.
In the first sentence of paragraph two, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added, the phrase “in a coordinated approach” was added, the word “and” was added before “regular physical activity” and the phrase “and a coordinated approach to addressing health” was deleted. The changes were made to enhance the sentence.
Technology in Education – standing position was amended.
In paragraph one, the sentence “A high tech wave is here and sweeping through the educational world largely driven by technology and innovation,” was deleted. The sentence was no longer pertinent to the position.
Local Governance – standing position was amended.
In the first sentence of paragraph one, “must be” was replaced by “are” to reflect the effort of local school boards.
School Reorganization – standing position was amended.
In paragraph one, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added at the beginning of the sentence to reflect the association’s belief.
School Choice – standing position was amended.
In paragraph one, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added at the beginning of the sentence to reflect the association’s belief. The sentence, “Local school boards have the responsibility to respond to the needs of their community by authorizing innovative programs and initiatives designed to enhance student outcomes,” was deleted because it was not pertinent to the position. Paragraph two, which states, “ASBSD supports open enrollment laws that work to promote cooperation among public school districts that help meet the educational needs of all students and families,” was added in support of legislation passed in 2012 related to open enrollment.
Open Government & Transparency – standing position was amended.
In paragraph one, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added at the beginning of the sentence to reflect the association’s belief and the word “transparency” was deleted because it was not pertinent. In paragraph three, the phrases “that will broaden access to government records, including” and “provided the laws appropriately balance the public’s right to know with the efficient use of taxpayer resources and school personnel,” were deleted to enhance the sentence. Paragraph four, which read “Expenditure of public funds requires that public officials adhere to state conflict of interest laws,” was deleted because it was not pertinent to the position.
School Finance – standing position was amended.
In bullet point four, the phrase “should have” was replaced by “the” to reflect the association’s belief. A fifth bullet point was added, which states, “Provides funding to meet state and federal expectations,” to reflect state and federal expectations. Paragraph three – “State funding must support local governance.” – was deleted because it is not pertinent to the position.
Safe & Secure Schools – standing position was amended.
In paragraphs one, three and four, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added at the beginning of the sentence to reflect the association’s belief. In paragraph two, the sentences “ASBSD encourages local districts to construct energy efficient school facilities, making use of green energy whenever practical. ASBSD supports state financial incentives that enable local districts to construct or update facilities to energy efficiency standards,” were deleted because they were not pertinent to the position.
Investment in Education – standing position was amended.
In paragraphs one, three and four, the phrase “ASBSD believes” was added at the beginning of the sentence to reflect the association’s belief.