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Vermillion School District 13-1 board meeting, Jul 13, 2026

1 h 38 min

AI in schools ▶ 1:14:11Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 3:49Enrollment ▶ 3:49

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 38 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  6. Rachel OlsonPresident
What happened

What happened at this meeting

School board approves 26⁠-⁠27 budget with $12,847,288 general fund 38:46

  • The board held a budget hearing at which Rachel Olson and a district staff member reviewed each fund, including a drop in budgeted enrollment from 1,340 to 1,280. 3:23
  • Phil Terwilliger and Ryan Johnson took the oath of office as school board members. 27:29
  • The board later adopted the budget, and a district staff member read a resolution listing a general fund total of $12,847,288. 38:19
  • The board approved new business items B through O, including board policy readings, in one motion. 1:07:24

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda approval 0:04
    • A district staff member took attendance and reported all members present. ~0:11
    • Rachel Olson invited visitors to address the board, and no one came forward. 0:19
    • Rachel Olson stated no conflict of interest under South Dakota Codified Law 3⁠-⁠23, and other members also stated none. 1:23
    • The agenda was approved by voice vote. 1:12
  2. Consent agenda 1:36
    • Rachel Olson said the consent agenda included the June 8th meeting minutes, resignations, new hires, 2 open enrollments and bills. 2:03
    • Rachel Olson took a vote on the motion to approve and announced that the motion passed. 2:54
  3. Budget hearing 2:58
    • Rachel Olson said budgeted enrollment fell from 1,340 for FY26 to 1,280 for FY27, decreasing property tax plus state aid by $2,800,000, and that a new grant for the Building Assets Reducing Risk program would bring $240,000 in FY27 and $720,000 over 3 years. 3:48
    • Rachel Olson said the district's taxable valuation rose 17.8%, but the district is capped at around a 6% increase by state limits. 8:32
    • A district staff member said the district remained in good financial shape and that its reserves would allow time to make decisions if enrollment or federal funds declined. 17:13
  4. Recognition of departing board member 21:41
    • A speaker said the departing board member would receive a plaque and had donated the $300 parting gift back to the Vermilion Public School Foundation. 23:14
  5. Adjournment and oaths of office 26:35
    • Phil Terwilliger read the oath of office. 27:29
    • Ryan Johnson read the oath of office. 28:15
    • A motion to adjourn the board meeting before the oaths passed by voice vote. 26:38
  6. Selection of board president 29:36
    • A speaker called the July 13th, 2026 reorganization meeting to order to select a board president for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year. 30:00
    • A nomination for president was made and seconded, and no other nominations were offered. 30:16
    • The board elected Rachel Olson president, and a motion to approve the nominee for vice president passed. 30:38
  7. Annual designations and appointments 31:51
    • The items set a bond of $400,000 for business manager accounts and $100,000 for other employees, and a salary of $60 per meeting for board members. 33:06
    • Rachel Olson said meetings would continue at 7:00 PM at City Hall, moving to Tuesday when a Monday holiday falls on a meeting date. 33:06
    • Rachel Olson read items including designating First Bank and Trust as the official depository and the Plain Talk as the official newspaper. 34:05
    • The board approved items A through R by voice vote. 33:06
  8. Written conflict of interest disclosures 35:44
    • A speaker said written disclosures are signed at the beginning of each term and given to the Attorney General's Office. 35:44
    • Rachel Olson disclosed work for Sanford Health with no direct benefits, and Ryan Johnson disclosed work for the University of South Dakota with no benefit. 36:59
    • Mark Winegar disclosed a relationship with the University of South Dakota as an adjunct graduate instructor, and Phil Terwilliger reported no interest in any contract. 37:26
  9. Budget adoption 38:19
    • A district staff member said passing the budget gives the staff member authority to contact county auditors with the levies. 39:02
    • The resolution listed a general fund of $12,847,288, a capital outlay fund of $3,412,475 and a special education fund of $3,429,080. 39:02
    • The resolution also listed a debt service fund of $1,387,500, a food service program fund of $1,034,000 and an enterprise fund of $175,080. 39:02
    • Rachel Olson said the budget approval motion was completed. 41:23
  10. Rates, open meetings review and routine approvals 41:23
    • A speaker said admission rates would stay the same as last year, with people age 65 and older admitted free. 41:44
    • A speaker said individual bus passes would go from $50 to $60 and family passes from $100 to $120, the first increase in almost 20 years, while Rachel Olson said the mileage rate would change from 67 cents to 70 cents per mile to match the state. 42:12
    • A presenter reviewed state open meeting laws, including that 3 board members constitute a quorum and that minutes must be available within 10 business days. 43:55
  11. School calendar amendments 55:10
    • A presenter asked to move a professional learning time date from September 25th to September 18th and to try a 1:30 early dismissal on Homecoming Day for one year. 55:21
    • The presenter also asked to add professional learning time on November 13th and December 9th and to move the May 15th, 2027 graduation from 1:30 to 10:30 or 11 in the morning. 59:56
    • One board member said they did not mind the senior class deciding the graduation time each year. 1:06:35
  12. Board policy readings and handbooks 1:07:24
    • A speaker said bidding thresholds changed from $10,000 to $15,000 and from $250,000 to $350,000. 1:07:37
    • The speaker said the meal charge threshold would move from negative $25 to negative $50 and the courtesy meal language would be struck. 1:11:23
    • The speaker described a new ACH originator policy, a new staff use of AI tools policy and a revision adding coaches as mandatory reporters of child abuse. 1:14:11
  13. Annual report and activities association resolution 1:23:16
    • A district staff member said average teacher compensation was $73,273, over $3,000 per teacher above the state minimum. 1:24:03
    • The staff member said the October balance was just under $3 million, just under 24% of total expenditures. 1:25:06
    • A speaker said the resolution authorizes annual membership in the South Dakota High School Activities Association. 1:25:58
    • The board approved items B through O by voice vote. 1:26:17
  14. Superintendent and board reports 1:26:39
    • In the superintendent report, a partnership was described to add climate-controlled storage on the west side of the theater, with partners to present to the board in August. 1:26:39
    • The report said all certified positions were filled, 9 new certified staff would attend orientation and a board retreat was set for August 4th from 8:00 till 12:00 at the high school. 1:29:13
    • Rachel Olson listed board committee and representation assignments for the coming year. 1:33:36
  15. Financials and adjournment 1:36:38
    • A district staff member said the reports reflected the conclusion of the fiscal year in very good shape. 1:36:45
    • Rachel Olson said upcoming meetings are August 10th and September 14th, and school starts August 19th. 1:37:34
    • The board approved the financials and adjourned at 8:16. 1:37:24

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “2026-07-13 Vermillion School Board”