Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lakota to audit support-dog program, board asks staff to review costs and replacement policies
Summary
Board members asked administration to perform an audit of the district's support-dog program to document current placements, training and long-term fiscal sustainability, including policies for retiring and rehoming dogs.
The Lakota Board of Education on Feb. 24 directed the administration to review the district's support-dog program and produce a program audit that will document costs, training, host-family arrangements and end-of-service practices.
Administration said several buildings currently host support dogs and that earlier cohorts of the program were established under different cost structures. Staff told trustees the expense of acquiring and maintaining support dogs (training, veterinary care and ongoing certification) has risen since the district first launched the program and that the district should inventory its current dogs and costs to determine sustainable expansion.
Why it matters: Board members and staff said students and staff value the animals' presence in schools, but trustees asked for a fiscal and logistical assessment before any broader expansion to high schools or additional buildings.
District leaders proposed a three-part review: (1) inventory existing dogs, host families and contracts; (2) itemize recurring costs (training, veterinary expenses, equipment, and replacement); and (3) document the program's procedures for retiring, rehoming or replacing dogs.
Board members spoke in favor of an audit and asked staff to include estimates for replacement dogs, clarify who pays veterinary bills and examine whether costs are borne by host families, vendors or district funds. Trustees also asked administration to outline the implications of the district's building consolidation planning (from 23 to 17 buildings) on dog placement and host-family logistics.
Administration noted that when dogs retire the district typically works with the vendor or host family for rehoming; trustees asked that retirement and rehoming practices be incorporated into the audit.
Ending: Administration said it will perform the audit and return to the board with findings and cost estimates to support a policy decision about program expansion or modification.
