Student enrollment numbers down by 48 from 2021-22



An unusual drop in student numbers will have an impact on the district’s revenue the Mobridge-Pollock School Board learned on Monday, Sept. 12, at their monthly meeting.

Mobridge-Pollock Superintendent Dr. Tim Frederick told the board that the state aid to education in 2021-22 was based on a student enrollment of 620. 

The estimate for enrollment for the 2022-2023 was 615, based on the students enrolled in the district and the in coming kindergarten class. That number was reduced by a number of unusual circumstances, according to Frederick.

The number of students enrolled in the district currently stands at 584. He said the district was unable to predict that 48 students would leave the district between graduation and the start of the new year.

The reasons for the drop in enrollment are that 14 students’ families moved out of state; nine students’ families moved within the state; seven students’ families chose alternate education (such as home schooling); four students moved due to foster placement; six students open enrolled to another district; and eight students re-enrolled back to their home district.

There are 184 students in the high school, 131 in middle school, 122 enrolled in the upper elementary, and 147 at Freeman Davis.

This will make a difference of $170,216 in state aid to education. The budget will have to be adjusted due to the drop in enrollment. 

There is some good enrollment news, according to Frederick, as the district has received 21 students through open enrollments into the district. 

The district’s three bus routes are bringing 24 students from the Pollock, Glenham areas into the district and 24 students from the McLaughlin, Kenel route into the district.

Mobridge-Pollock School Board President Eric Stroeder told the board that if the decrease in enrollment trend continues, the board will have to start making some decisions on ways to lower the district’s annual budget.

Meal forms

Frederick told the board he is concerned about the number of free and reduced meal application forms that have been filed with the district. He told the board it is important that parents fill out those forms for their students to receive the free and reduced meals. These forms are also used to generate revenue for the district’s food service. He said for the first time since the COVID pandemic allowed for all meals to be free, the forms must be filled out to receive the federal funding.

This is also the first time he can remember that the district does not meet the 40% economic status used to determine the funding for food service.

Stroeder told the board that the Mobridge-Pollock district is in the bottom 10 districts in the state for generating capital outlay funds, which are based on the generation of tax dollars.

Social Studies Standards

Frederick told the board, the new social studies standards approved by the State of South Dakota, are under review by the education community, who are voicing concerns about them. 

These standards are set to be in place in 2025. Currently hearings are being held for those opposing and supporting the standards to present their arguments. 

He said there was not a lot of input in these standards from teachers and that their concerns about the levels of goals set are a concern. He said a recent forum held in Harrisburg and online reflected educators concerns on how the standards were developed, who served on the committee steering the standards, the lack of educators on that committee, the amount of memorization within the standards and the lack of critical thinking required.

For example, in the new standards, kindergarten students are expected to learn history that is now being taught on the sixth-grade level. Frederick said the education community is concerned with the expectation that kindergartners are learning dates and facts about wars that are taught at a much higher grade level now.

Frederick told the board he is currently hosting meeting with the staff to hear their concerns with the scope and sequence of the standards and the impact it will have the district’s curriculum.

“We are concerned about what will be cost of this for the school districts?” he told he board. “We could be revamping the entire curriculum at a cost of $125,000 to $175,000 to the district.”

He said the standards will take more student time, there will be more required courses and it will cut into student’s ability and time to take advanced courses that prepare them for higher education. It may also cut into the career and technical education that can be offered in the districts.

Another of the concerns is that only one company provides the books based on these standards. That company was also instrumental in setting these new standards. 

In other business the Mobridge-Pollock School Board:

• Heard Mobridge-Pollock Parent Teacher Organization President Kendra Binger talk about the organization’s purpose and what the goals are for this year and for the future. Anne Lamont, the teacher representative in the organization thanked the board for their dedication to education and working with the organization. She also talked about the goals, and the Tigers Positive social media page.

• Heard Dr. Tim Frederick congratulate the school board open receiving the Associated School Boards of South Dakota ALL (Act, Learn, Lead) Silver Award for 2022. The award is given to school boards for their dedicated and ethical service to the students of South Dakota. It is awarded through points received for the board members’ participation in outside activities, board development and training, and demonstrated leadership at various areas and levels.

• Heard Frederick thank the Mobridge Ministerial society for a $1,000 donation in support of student learning and wellbeing.

• Heard Frederick thank the Mobridge Youth Organization, the PTO and the Mobridge-Pollock Booster Club for their outstanding work with students throughout the summer and early fall.

• Heard a presentation from Tim Tobin from SAAFE, LLC of Excelsior, Minnesota about the new bleacher system to be installed at Tiger Stadium in the summer of 2023. Tobin asked the board to make decisions on the color of the window trim and if they want the bleacher risers to be painted orange and black or one or the other color. The new bleacher system will include a new press box and will nearly double the spectator capacity.

• Approved the following contracts as per the negotiated agreement: Troy Stenberg, drivers education instructor; Lisa Merkel concessions supervisor; and Nicole Goetz as the JOM/Title V coordinator.

• Heard Frederick report there will be professional development de-escalation training sessions hosted at Mobridge-Pollock on Friday, Sept. 30. Mobridge-Pollock is one of three sites at which the training session will be held.

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