New food provider

The Hill City School Board (HCSB) voted to approve the proposal of food service management company Lunchtime Solutions.

The approval, which came at the most recent board meeting, means that Lunchtime Solutions will run the school district’s food service next year.

According to Lunchtime Solutions documents the company has 24 years of food service experience.

“During the past 24 years, we have demonstrated our ability to perform the required services and meet or exceed all USDA and state regulations,” the document reads.

The company currently contracts with 52 schools in five states, including the Custer School district. Student pricing for meals will not change in the 2021-2022 school year.

Debate over whether the district should continue to allow open enrollment cases took place.

Board members discussed class size and the availability of computers.

Members Angie Ross and Rob Timm declined to approve the most recent open enrollment requests; however, those requests still passed.

Superintendent Blake Gardner issued a statement regarding the closure of the sawmill in Hill City.

“On behalf of the Hill City School District, I want to thank our hardworking sawmill employees and timber producers,” Gardner said. “Our school will be greatly impacted by the loss of timber employment in the area, but most importantly our thoughts and prayers are with the families that are impacted. Recently, our school won an 11 state values-driven award. The evaluators continuously stated that our school district felt like a family. All of the timber connected students, parents, and teachers are important members of our school family. Our school district fully supports you, your families, and thanks for making our school special and one of the best in South Dakota!”

Temp Tech, the only company to offer a bid proposal, will be installing an HVAC unit in the middle school after school ends for the year. According to the contract, work must be completed by July 1.

This project will be paid for using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. There is currently no HVAC in the middle school and the heating units are 50 years old.

Since COVID-19 is transmitted through air particles an HVAC in the middle school will help mitigate the spread and transmission of COVID-19. Total cost for the project is $242,036.

Additional items or projects the district is looking to spend ESSER funds on include a new commercial treadmill, relocating lockers in the elementary school, computer equipment and curriculum intervention software, a floor scrubber, a drinking fountain and the expansion of an elementary school bathroom.

 Free textbooks from Western Dakota Tech (WDT) will no longer be an option beginning in the fall of 2021. The general education classes currently taught on campus will no longer be an option for the 2022-2023 school year unless dual credit technical classes are offered on campus.

According to data from Western Dakota Tech’s Nora Leinen WDT loses $89.67 to $139.67 dollars per credit or $269.01 to $419.01 per three credit course for a dual credit class as compared to a full time student, depending on if the student is taking classes online or in person.

According to Gardner the “district completed a Title I review. The review was comprehensive and required documentation to prove the district is compliant with the Title I requirements. The review covered 27 indicators that required proof of compliance on everything from Parent-Student Compacts to ESL/ENL services to McKinney-Vento accommodation. This review was a Level 4 review, which is the most in-depth.”

Gardner, along with special education director Toni Brun and elementary school principal Samantha Weaver led the review process.

The school calendar was amended to meet the requirements of student contact days. The previous calendar had only 170 student contact days instead of 171. This amendment fulfills the contractual obligation of district teachers. The last day of school next year will now be May 20, 2022.

A total of 25 students attended kindergarten screening. The district estimates 40 to 45 kindergarten students next year. Students made solar ovens in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) after school academy. They also made a paper roller coaster and learned about budgeting scenarios.

Smarter Balanced Assessments for science, English language arts (ELA), and math will be completed at the end of April. Students are enjoying a free program for fifth grade classrooms to learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math.). Starbase allows three teachers to come into classes and teach hands-on STEM concepts.

 The board approved the spring COVID-19 plan. There are no changes between the winter COVID-19 plan and the spring COVID-19 plan.

The special education plan for the district was also approved. This is an annual process required to receive funding. The district will undergo a special education review next school year.

The 2021-22 school handbook was presented to the board with no major policy changes. The board voted to surplus a special education van and special education bed.

A resolution that Hill City participate in the South Dakota High School Activities Association for the 2021-2022 school year was approved.

Lisa Starr was approved to coach high school track and Colton Best was hired as an elementary special education teacher and middle school boys basketball coach. District resignations include teachers Jessica Johnson, Karen Gardner, Jamie Henderson and coach Nick Ferguson. Custodian Val King will be retiring at the end of the school year.

Twelve members of the district’s National Honor Society (NHS) were recognized by the board during the “good things” segment of the meeting.

NHS members are selected based on grade point average, volunteer hours and community service.

The next HCSB meeting is May 10 at 6 p.m.