October 25, 2021 at 5:00 PM - DOUGLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION

Rationale:  Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD) has awarded the Douglas School Board the Gold Level ALL Award for school year 2020-21.  The Douglas School Board earned this award for its dedication and participation in activities, board development and training, and demonstrated leadership in various areas and levels throughout the year.  

Rationale: 
9A.  The summary information from the October Exchange is available at this link.  We plan to have Kai Kafrissen, Team Lead for Education Partners from Thought Exchange with us to share some basic information about the results and briefly acquaint you with the ThoughtExchange platform.

General Comments:  
The exchange generated a number of thoughts and themes that we will continue to reflect on and further develop  as we make building and district decisions.  A few key takeaways for the district are as follows:

• APPRECIATE ALL STAFF - The top thought spotlighted the importance of valuing and respecting our entire education community.  
• SAFETY regarding drop off and pick up is an area the district needs to continue to evaluate.  Consistent expectations for drop off and pick up need to be reinforced with students, staff, and parents.  The district is in the process of reviewing our processes with SRO's, operations, and the City of Box Elder. 
• COMMUNICATION was cited as both a strength and an area needing improvement.  A future exchange regarding communication is being planned for November or December.  
• COVID Policies and Procedures was an area where we saw polarization with stakeholders.  Participants have diverse, deeply rooted thoughts on this topic.
• BOARD MEETINGS The data suggest that we might need to be better communicate that board meetings are available to view live.  A new board meeting platform was also introduced that should provide for more transparency for board meeting agendas and board policy.  DSD School Board Agenda
• AFFIRMATIONS & CONCERNS - Both affirmations and concerns where shared, we will continue to reflect on our practice and strive to become better every day.  We encourage students, staff, and patrons to follow the chain of command as the most efficient way to communicate and solve problems.
• BACK TO SCHOOL WALKTHROUGH - We received a great deal of positive feedback that the new format was appreciated by parents.  We should continue the process with some potential minor modifications.
• FUTURE EXCHANGE IDEAS - we are anticipating three future exchanges around communication, priorities for the design of our new elementary schools, and 2022-23 academic calendar priorities.  We are excited to gain thoughts and ideas from our stakeholders.   

Thank you for exploring this exchange. 

9B.  I recommend that you approve student assignments as presented.

9C.  I would like to have some discussion regarding historical practices surrounding snow days at Douglas 51-1. Ultimately the board will need to make a timely decision regarding whether or not to make up the snow day from October 13, 2021.

9D.  RSP & Associates Demographic Analysis Proposal

THE NEED:  

After careful consideration of potential next steps regarding our unprecedented growth, the need for a comprehensive demographic analysis surfaced as a need for the district.  The rationale for the analysis is as follows:

• The growth the City of Box Elder and Douglas Schools will be experiencing is unprecedented.  Having a professional firm whose expertise is in the area of school demographics assist us, will provide us with accurate forecasting data;

• Our District and City growth is complex due to both city expansion and and the B-21 announcement at Ellsworth Air Force Base;

• Gaining a better understanding of where our growth will occur will assist us with site locations for our new Elementary Schools.  

• New elementary schools will necessitate a need for us to look at our current practice of open enrollment and the need to develop boundaries for our elementary and middle schools. It will also necessitate a need to review our current bussing policy/procedure.

• *Given the rapid growth we anticipate, follow up studies may need to be conducted.  

 

THE COMPANIES:

The district contacted two companies who provide demographic analysis for school districts.  We met virtually with both RSP and Davis Demographics who both provided us with a proposal.  

 

RECOMMENDATION:

After listening to their presentations, gaining a better understanding of their services, and contacting references, our recommendation is to enter into an agreement with RSP & Associates to perform an Enrollment, Facility, Site, Staffing, and Boundary analysis.  

 

BUDGET CONSIDERATION:

Grant funding may be utilized for the cost of the Analysis.