School board announces Hall of Fame inductees

The Tea Area School Board met Sept. 9 and announced the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees.

Those who will be inducted into the district’s Hall of Fame are operations manager Wayne Larsen and the 2011 boys state track champion team, who was the first state champion team for the district. The inductees will be honored on homecoming, Sept. 27.

Superintendent Jennifer Lowery also congratulated the board for being named the 2024 Board of Excellence by the Associated School Board of South Dakota.

The board approved the six-year lease for two 2025 Blue Bird 77 passenger buses with Stock Growers Public Finance at a rate of 4.4 percent interest with a final payment of $286,603.50.

They also approved the fiscal year 2025 budget with a general fund budget of $19,702,347. The budget is based on 2,540 students, which is up 112 students from fiscal year 2024.

The board also approved the submission of the FY24 annual report.

They approved the new hires of Shawn Kennedy for eighth grade assistant volleyball at a rate of $2,424 for the year and Megan McKim as special education paraprofessional at a rate of $19.02 per hour.

Larsen updated the board on the progress on the high school expansion. He noted that the gym has three layers of seal that will cure this week before the bleachers go in next week. The scoreboards got put up. The lockers have been installed in the varsity boys locker room. Wrestling mats were being moved into the wrestling room this week. Larsen thought the gym should be able to be used the week of Sept. 23.

Crews are working on the structural steel in the PAC. They have been setting the bar joists and decking behind the stage and the science wing. The glass company came and most of the windows are installed.

The board finished the meeting with goal setting and a work session.