Tea Area School District enrollment at 1,790

The Tea School Board met on Monday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. with all members residing. They quickly approved the agenda, minutes of the last meeting and bills. The budget approval was tabled until the next meeting in September pending the receipt of tax levies from the auditor’s office and accurate growth numbers for the new school year. The board had budgeted for 1,778 students, however they have 1,790 so far.

The members then moved on to the Boulder Addition Elementary Project, which the building committee continues to meet regarding. The Design Development drawings will be complete by the beginning of September and the goal is to release the project in late November, and open bids in the middle of December.

Members then continued on to a bond resolution: Resolution authorizing the execution, terms, issuance and payment of general obligation bonds, series 2017, to be issued in one or more series, in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed fifteen million four hundred twenty thousand dollars ($15,420,000) of the Tea Area School District 41-5 of Lincoln and Minnehaha County, South Dakota. This bond resolution was voted on by the community during an election held June 20. The bond will allow for a new elementary school to be built. The members approved the resolution with a roll call after much discussion and will confer further at the next meeting. The preferred plan seemed to be two separate payments, one in 2017 and one in 2018.

Old business continued with the second reading of the Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Authorization policy which the members reviewed last month; it was approved.

Next the members shifted to New Business with the approval of open enrollments. Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Lowery recommended accepting seven and denying six. One student had also made a request to rescind their open enrollment and will be enrolling elsewhere.

The members then approved resignations and new hires. Resignations were: Kathleen Park – Task, Taylor Fechner – Head Groundskeeper, Amy Brown – Food Service, Vicki Laursen – Food Service, Nyla Maag – Administration Assistant, Heather Murray – Nurse. New hires were: Jasmin Sumic – Assistant Girls Soccer Coach, Claire Goder – Community Library Aide, Naomi Rieland – Administration Assistant, Alyssa Niesen – Behavior Specialist, Amanda Hanson – Food Service.

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