The Flandreau school board wrapped up the fiscal year 2024 during their July meeting before FY 2025 begins.
Superintendent Rick Weber updated the board on staffing for the 2024-25 school year. Currently the district still needs to fill Ag/Shop teacher and cheerleader advisor positions. Weber has not received any applications for these positions. He now plans to reach out to retired teachers to see if they are willing to fill the Ag/Shop position.
Elementary Principal Justin Kelm has chosen to step back from administrative duties and back into the classroom. Kelm takes the place of Megan Severtson as a fifth and sixth grade math teacher. Severtson was hired as the Instructional Coach for the district.
The district received an email update on their 10-03-grant application and the district should receive some if not all of $100,000 grant. The district was able to apply for the grant since Flandreau School District is a Title 1 school and a target school for its Elementary and High School Attendance and Hispanic graduation rate.

Board members could not finalize and approve the general budget since the final decision from the grant has not been determined. The board did approve the $1.9 million dollar Capital Outlay budget to allow for items on that list to be ordered or jobs completed in a timely manner. The General Fund Budget should be approved in August.
Kari Burggraff will be the boards new president after receiving a unanimous vote. Previous president Tom Stenger also received a unanimous vote for the Vice President position.
Long time board member Adam Wiese was thanked for his service to the school district. Wiese did not seek reelection during the past election. Incumbent members Brian Klein and Brian Johnson were sworn in by new Business Manager Josh Cleveland. Johnson is serving a one-year term as no one ran for his board position during the last election.
New board member Cynthia Sheppard was absent from the meeting for a commitment made before running for office. Sheppard will be sworn in during the next board meeting on August 12.
An anonymous member of the Messiah Lutheran Church made a $1,000 donation to the district. The member included a note requesting the monies be used to pay for pass due lunch bills or applied to any students needing assistance in the upcoming school year accounts.
Other things approved were the cost of meals and admission to events. The cost for students’ breakfast and lunch will increase by 10 cents. The total will now be $2.10 for breakfast for students’ kindergarten through twelfth grade. Lunch will be $3.40 for grades kindergarten through fifth grade and $3.50 for grades sixth through twelfth grade. Extra entrees will also increase by 10 cents for a total of 2.35.
High school students will be charged for admission into sporting events for the upcoming school year. The school had waived the $10 activity ticket fee for High School students during the pandemic. The cost for activity tickets will remain the same for everyone else with students being $10 and adults $30. The school will also not offer free breakfast this year.
One of the last items the board approved was the donation of land to the Boys and Girls Club for the new Early Education Center. The land donated was a sliver of land between the suggested site and the west of the Middle School. The reason donation was needed so a fence can be placed to secure entrance into the playground of the Early Education Center. The fence will also provide extra security for the school.