Big Stone City School Officials Begin Reorganization Process
Big Stone City School Officials Begin Reorganization Process
The Big Stone City School is in the initial stage of creating a reorganization plan.
School administration was notified in December by the South Dakota Secretary of Education’s office that the school does not meet South Dakota Codified Law (SDCL) 13-15-28 to remain open in its current organizational structure. The South Dakota Department of Education has concluded that more than 50 percent of students in the Big Stone City School District enroll in other school districts via the open enrollment option.
While the district is out of compliance with the statute, it has time and opportunity to become compliant by developing an acceptable reorganizational plan before June 30, 2025. The school will continue to operate as usual during that time.
“The reorganization process is something the board will have to discuss and finalize,” said Christopher Folk, Big Stone City School CEO and business manager. “It is a process to work through.”
Folk emphasizes that the situation is still evolving, and families in the district have been informed. No concrete timeframes have yet been established beyond those required by the Department of Education.
SDCL 13-15-28 falls under General State Aid to Schools in South Dakota’s education laws. It states, “Reorganization of district based on number of students – Exception for district within reservation boundaries: Any school district that enters into contractual agreements pursuant to § 13-15-11 and sends over 50 percent of its resident students enrolled in grades for which it contracts to an adjoining school district or districts located in South Dakota shall reorganize the school district pursuant to chapter 13-6 within two years of the end of the school year. For the purposes of this section, the number of students attending adjoining districts shall be based on fall enrollment as defined in § 13-13-10.1. This section does not apply to a school district located wholly within the boundaries of an Indian reservation.”
On a day-to-day basis, it’s still business as usual for the Lions. “The school’s current situation or structure is running as a current public school district, as we always have,” Folk said.
Standard operations will continue through the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year and through the two following school years, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The district is required to be reorganized by the summer of 2025.
According to Folk, there are options for what could happen for the 2025-2026 school year. “If the school district creates a plan to somehow have an attendance center still in Big Stone City and it is approved by the Secretary of Education, then the school would proceed after that date,” said Folk. “If the only avenue is to dissolve or annex to another district, this would be Milbank, as it surrounds our district.”
In the current school year, 21 students were enrolled in preschool and 64 in kindergarten through eighth grade.
