The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has made a significant decision regarding a civil rights investigation into the Rapid City Area School District (RCAS). The investigation, initiated in 2023, centered on allegations of discrimination against Native Americans within the district. Following the investigation, the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) imposed a 30-day suspension on the superintendent and reached a resolution agreement requiring the district to address the discrimination.
MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) The City of Mitchell received the following applications below for special events. […]
Mitchell Technical College is moving forward with a drainage improvement project funded by ARPA funds.
The Sioux Falls School Board gives the South Dakota Legislature low marks for the recently concluded legislative session. The district tracked 73 bills, with six of the seven bills it supported passing, while 39 opposed measures failed.
South Dakota House members failed to override Gov. Larry Rhoden’s veto of a childcare assistance bill today (Thursday), with the vote falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
South Dakota lawmakers have approved a 1.25% increase in education funding, as proposed by former Governor Kristi Noem in her final budget. While the increase is now official, many educators are expressing disappointment, as funding had been raised by at least 4% in each of the past three years. Advocates had hoped for a 3% increase, and now, with tighter financial conditions, some schools may face the difficult decision of making budget cuts to navigate these challenging times.
At the Mitchell School Board meeting on March 10, Superintendent Joe Childs announced that the district had made significant strides in reducing chronic absenteeism, achieving a 4.7% overall improvement. Mitchell Middle School saw a notable 3% drop, with Attendance Liaison Aaron Klinger playing a pivotal role in helping students stay in school, particularly at the middle school level. Other schools, such as Gertie Belle Rogers and L.B. Williams, also showed strong improvements, with absenteeism decreasing by 15% and 28%, respectively.
State lawmakers are hoping for the Governor’s signature on a bill aimed at easing the state’s childcare crisis. House Minority Leader Erin Healy sponsored the bill, which would make childcare workers eligible for childcare assistance payments.
The Mitchell Board of Education will discuss a potential street name change at its meeting today at 5:30pm. The proposal seeks to rename MTI Drive to Mitchell Tech Drive to reflect the college’s recent name change.
Forty-five students are set to graduate this week from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy in Pierre. After 13 weeks of rigorous training, which covers law, arrest control tactics, firearms, criminal investigations, and more, the ceremony will take place today at 10 a.m. at the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center.