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Superintendent: Sunshine Avenue bid, middle school addition and legislative threats top district priorities
Summary
Superintendent Larson updated the Brandon Valley School District 49-2 Board of Education on construction bid timelines, legislative threats to public education, budget and negotiations timelines, and a delayed Highway 42 bridge project. The board approved routine agenda and personnel items and entered an executive session with no action.
Superintendent Larson told the Brandon Valley School District 49-2 Board of Education that construction and budget planning are proceeding amid a fast-moving legislative session that the superintendent characterized as posing multiple potential threats to public education.
Larson said the Sunshine Avenue construction bid will open on March 11 and the district plans to bring that bid to the board at its second March meeting; construction is expected this spring or summer. Bids for a middle school classroom addition will open March 20 and the superintendent expects to present a recommended bid for board approval on March 24.
On transportation projects, Larson said Veterans Parkway and Arrowhead work are on schedule but the Highway 42 bridge closure has been delayed to 2026. He said that delay likely means the district will roll any related adjustments into the opening of Brandon Valley Elementary rather than making minor adjustments next year.
Larson described the current legislative session as “a lot of things... detrimental to public education,” citing funding mechanisms and local control -- including proposals that could restrict the timing of local bond elections -- as primary concerns. He said the district is working with contacts at the state level to respond and that the situation is changing rapidly.
Budget timing has shifted later because of legislative uncertainty, Larson said. The board can expect a five-year plan presentation in March, staffing approvals later in March, and a preliminary capital outlay budget at the next meeting. Larson said a preliminary budget presentation is planned for May, followed by a public budget hearing and potential action in July.
On labor negotiations, Larson said the board will receive executive-session preparatory information March 24 and that the district has three fallback negotiation dates if needed; if negotiations conclude successfully, the board could ratify a master contract on April 14 along with other wage and salary recommendations. Larson also said the Special Education Fund Committee is finalizing recommendations that will affect planning for next year.
During the meeting the board approved the agenda, approved general business items 1 and 2, and approved personnel items 1–7 by voice vote. The board moved into an executive session under South Dakota codified law to discuss matters that would not result in action, then returned and adjourned.
No formal resolution numbers or dollar amounts were provided during the public superintendent report; where dates or processes were given, those are reported here as stated to the board.
