Budget hearing, reorganization on deck Monday for Mitchell Board of Education

Erik Kaufman, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·4 min read

Jul. 23—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Board of Education will hold a public hearing for the 2023-24 district budget as well as reorganize when it next meets Monday, July 24.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Room 110 at the Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy.

The budget hearing, which was originally scheduled for June but was postponed due to a clerical error in publishing the legal notice for the hearing, will take place in the first half of the meeting. The board will then decide on whether to adopt the new budget.

The proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year comes in at $24,118,049 in the general fund, which also includes drivers education and Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy funds; $4,996,942 for the capital outlay fund; $6,263,030 for the special education fund; $2,294,988 for the food service fund, and $36,153,342 for the combined totals of the Mitchell Technical College post-secondary funds.

Tax levies resulting from the new budget would come in at $1.320 per $1,000 of ag valuation in the general fund, $1.574 per $1,000 of total evaluation in the special education fund and a total of $5,101,603 in taxes requested for the capital outlay fund. The opt-out total will remain at zero under the proposed budget.

Following the first half of the meeting, the board will adjourn and reconvene to seat a new member, elect officers and conduct yearly business.

Deb Everson will be sworn in as the newest member of the board. She will take the seat currently held by Matt Christiansen. She will join current board members Terry Aslesen, Deb Olson, Brittni Flood and Shawn Ruml. Terms on the board are for three years.

The board is also expected to consider the following personnel moves at the meeting:

* The new certified hire of Samantha Olson, student support specialist at Mitchell High School, $53,625, effective Aug. 1

* The new classified hires of Patti Brown, paraeducator at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $16.86 per hour, 7.25 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Lydia Brink, librarian aide at Longfellow Elementary, $17 per hour, 7.5 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Dawn Whitley, administrative assistant at Longfellow Elementary, $17 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 2; Samantha Keckler, administrative assistant/attendance secretary at Mitchell Middle School, $17 per hour, effective July 31; Wildmike Pata, Title VI tutor/ISS supervisor, $17 per hour, 8 hours daily, effective Aug. 9; April Miller, head cook at L.B. Williams Elementary, $17 per hour, 5.5 hours daily, effective Aug. 8; Angela Thompson, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary, $16.25 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Lois Pravecek, paradeducator at Longfellow Elementary, $16 per hour, 7 hours daily, affective Aug. 7; Karen Ivey, paraeducator at Mitchell High School, $17 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; TaRhea Rath, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary, $16 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Rachela Dirksen, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary, $16 per hour, 7.5 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Ryder Thompson, general food service worker at L.B. Williams Elementary, $16.50 per hour, 4.5 hours daily, effective Aug. 8; Jessie Uher, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary, $18 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16; Destiny Stone, paraeducator at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $16 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16 and Sherri Cochran, paraeducator at Longfellow Elementary School, $16 per hour, 7 hours daily, effective Aug. 16.

* The transfer of Meghan Puetz, data support specialist food service to administrative assistant at Mitchell High School, effective July 6.

* The resignations of Anne Berg, paraeducator, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary; Cathy VerSteeg, teacher at Longfellow Elementary and Glenn Grindheim, paraeducator at Mitchell High School. All resignations are effective for the 2023-24 school year.

* The new Mitchell Technical College hire of Jerry Brink, CDL instructor, $62,000, effective Aug. 1.

* The Mitchell Technical College additional position of Devon Russell, project director for USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Training in on-farm precision experimentation for the Workplace Project, $9,300 per year grant, effective July 1.

* The resignation of Amy Gough, instructional media specialist, effective July 14.

Other items to be considered at the meeting include:

* Approval of the 2023-24 high school and elementary handbooks.

* Consider the second reading and approval of Policy 103, Policy 121 and Policy 544.

* Consider election of Division I and Division III representatives to the SDHSAA board of directors.

* Consider approval of materials bid for Mitchell Technical College student-built houses #110 and #111.

* Consider approval to purchase a Volvo L60H.

* Consider approval to purchase John Deere equipment.

* Consider approval of request for proposal of Performance Foods for the prime vendor contract for the food service program for the 2023-24 school year.

The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed by the Mitchell Republic on its website.