Recently-purchased acre going back to residential

By: 
Leslie Silverman
The Hill City School District Board of Education voted to vacate a zoning request for 403 Main St. The Oct. 14 decision means that the recently-purchased property will revert back to R2/residential zoning. 
Superintendent Blake Gardner said the school board that he was notified by the city that  “apparently it takes a year, you have a year-long window for the zoning and the previous owners had put in a zoning request change. We have no reason to request a commercial on that property. Our options are to either A. pursue; or B. let it revert back,” Gardner said.
Gardner said the R2 zoning is good for a parking lot or a future  school addition.
Board members also accepted a high bid of $251 for the 20x19x13 shed on the 403 Main St. property.
Lunchtime Solutions Inc., the district food service vendor, will hold a parent advisory committee meeting Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
District business manager Cassandra Ott did not know the meeting format.
“I know there were issues regarding quality,” said Ott referring to a recent Facebook post. Ott also noted “better participation in junior high and high schoolers,” for school meals. She reiterated the district is offering free breakfast this school year.
Ninety-seven percent of parents  were in attendance for parent teacher conferences at the elementary school this fall. Principal Samantha Weaver said the state is offering a free social studies curriculum to schools in the state. 
“It would follow the standards that they adopted last year,” Weaver said. 
“The standards are very complex, as we know,” Weaver  said, adding the program will look like a weekly reader.
The elementary school received a $5,000 literacy grant from Black Hills Reads and is scheduling  three parent nights to encourage literacy at home.
The school district exceeded the state average in the National Career Readiness Certificat test 34 high school seniors took. 
Gardner says the test measures how schools prepare students for the workforce. Next year the test will not be offered for free.
School board member Rob Timm said he took the test before and “it’s not easy.”
The district also gives the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test.
Timm attended the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools conference Sept. 21-24. Timm learned  there are several different levels of impacted folks and said  there are “a lot of complexities to federal land.”
Timm noted that the federal government is actually adding more land making it “more convoluted” and  diluting  the money schools receive. 
He called the conference very informative and “a little depressing” when you look at funding levels.
Timm said he doubts there will be little movement on the funding level. Timm says Custer has it worse off in that they get zero dollars from the state  for Custer State Park.
Gardner wants to review security with the South Dakota  director of Homeland Security. 
“It’s unfortunate  we have to have those conversations. I think we need to be proactive,” Gardner said.
Gardner is serving on  the “I love South Dakota  Public Education” Committee.
One goal of the committee is for every school district to have the “I love public education” logo on its website.
The HCSB added Black Hills Energy to a vendor list  to be paid between board meetings with a cap of $15,000.
A new microphone  system was installed at the football field and a new water heater was put in at the high school. The roof repairs are completed with HVAC being installed.
Special education  director Toni Brun said her  team is expanding the assessment library for the department. 
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Brun said.
The district is looking to fill some coaching positions and is also looking for lower level basketball officials. 
“Those seasons are coming up pretty quick,” said athletic director Wade  Ginsbach.
The board discussed policy change recommendations from Associated School Boards of South Dakota. No action was taken on any of the changes.
They included policies pertaining to background checks, open enrollment, insulin administration, alcohol and other drugs, staff participation in political activities and student expulsion and suspension. 
The HCSB meets again  Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. in room 202 of the high school.

User login