The Britton-Hecla Board of Education wrapped up business for the 2025-26 school year before reorganizing for the 2026-27 year during its regular meeting Monday evening.
Before adjourning, board members approved updates to the student, activities and staff handbooks. Superintendent Steve Benson said one change to the activities handbook aligns it with the student handbook by clarifying attendance requirements for students to practice or participate in activities on days they are absent from school. The updated handbooks will soon be available on the district’s website.
Following adjournment of the outgoing board, newly elected members Amy Jo Vietor and Jeff Christenson took the oath of office.
The board then elected officers for the coming year, selecting Troy Knecht as president and Kurt Zuehlke as vice president.
In the business manager’s report, Superintendent Steve Benson reviewed the district’s financial outlook, noting no major capital improvement projects are planned during the upcoming school year because of current school funding levels. He also reported the district expects a loss of food service revenue following the closure of Westwood Colony School.
As part of its annual reorganization, the board approved a number of routine organizational items. Regular board meetings will continue to be held on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. The board approved modest increases in meal prices for the upcoming school year. Student breakfast will increase to $2.30, elementary lunches to $3.30, and grades 6-12 lunches to $3.60. Adult breakfast will remain $3.25, while adult lunch will increase to $5.75. Mileage reimbursement for employees using personal vehicles was set at 70 cents per mile, activity admission prices and Funtastic Club fees will remain unchanged, substitute pay will remain the same, and the board approved the purchase of a 2024 12-passenger transit van. The board also approved bus requests allowing Groton and Langford buses to enter the district.
The board appointed Knecht as the district’s delegate to the Associated School Boards of South Dakota and Vietor as the representative to the Northeast Special Education Cooperative.
Annual conflict of interest and direct benefit disclosures were acknowledged for board members Angela Grupe and Troy Knecht, who also serve as coaches.
All reorganization actions will be published in the official meeting minutes in next week’s paper.
The board also approved three open enrollment applications from students transferring into the district from Veblen.
During the preliminary budget hearing, Benson again cautioned that the district may need to consider an opt-out in the future if state education funding remains stagnant while operating costs continue to rise.
“If things continue as they are in the Legislature with low funding, we’ll have to consider an opt-out,” Benson said. “There may be no other option with the cost of inputs continuing to go up.”
Benson noted Britton-Hecla is one of the few school districts in the area that has never implemented an opt-out but said many districts across South Dakota are having similar discussions. He expects the board to begin discussing the possibility this fall, likely around October, although he noted enrollment numbers could still affect the district’s financial outlook.
In his superintendent’s report, Benson said the district will now have to pay for policy update subscriptions that had previously been included as part of its contract. He also updated the board on various staff vacancies, including a band teacher position, which he described as a critical opening to fill if the district hopes to continue its band program.
