Board talks enrollment, budgets

Flandreau School Board members met in special session on March 31 discussing preliminary budgets and class sizes for the 2025-26 school year.
A couple of the higher priced items in the capital outlay budget were approved for purchase now before the fiscal year begins in July.
The board gave approval for $52,000 for LED light fixtures in the high school building. All other buildings lighting has been changed over. The amount approved will cover the rest.
Also in capital outlay budgeting, the board gave approval to purchase new football uniforms now at a cost of $10,000. The order will include two jerseys and two pair of pants for the players.
For the general fund budget, most of the discussion came on the amount of state aid the district may receive, and student enrollment.
Current enrollment is 676. When the Average Daily Membership count was completed in September of 2024, the number was at 731.
Superintendent Rick Weber said the dramatic change was generally due to students moving out of state.
With only a 1.25% increase in state aid, the district stands to lose about $240,000 from last years budget. Weber said that about 85 percent of the budget is used toward salaries.
This year, the district will graduate 55 seniors. At Marchs early learning screening, 36 incoming kindergarteners and 15 or 16 junior kindergarteners were counted. (Kindergarten numbers generally change up and down closer to registration in late summer as parents decided if their child is ready for school or not.)
Other class size changes are next years fifth grade class will be reduced to two sections (22 students in each section) and Pleasant Valley Colony, due to no incoming kindergarteners or junior kindergarteners, will change from three instructors to two. Total school enrollment at PVC will change from 34 students to 30 next year.
Earlier at the March regular meeting, the board voted to add an additional fourth grade teacher to put that class at three sections.
After the class size discussion and decision, and after an executive session, the board voted to not renew the contracts for 5th grade instructor Kayla Flatten and Pleasant Valley Colony instructor Elizabeth Sanders.
Approval was given to issue contracts to the rest of the current faculty members for the 2025-26 school year.
Earlier in the meeting, the board accepted resignations from Megan Griebel, Elementary Special Education, Susan Alfson, High School Special Education and Michelle Pepper, 8th grade English.
New hire will be Eathen Erck for High School Social Studies and approval was given for Emma Peters as an assistant golf coach