Lead-Deadwood board approves hires, contracts and calendar; longevity benefit request not approved

The Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1 board, meeting April 1, approved a slate of routine personnel actions, contracts and calendar items and set procedural next steps on a late longevity-benefit request from a staff member.

The board approved substitute and classified contracts, accepted multiple resignations and approved a K–12 band-instructor contract for Kinsley at $53,540 following a consolidated motion to handle hiring and separations. The board also approved renewal of health insurance (staff reported a roughly 9% premium increase for the district), a roughly 2% premium rise for dental through Delta Dental, and two school calendars covering 2026–27 and 2027–28.

Contracts and capital items approved included a construction change order (Change Order #12) addressing failing brick under a planter outside a staff office and interior CTE ceiling/skylight work; the board approved the change order after staff explained scope adjustments and credits. The board also approved an increase in the elementary swimming pool contract from $1,500 last year to $5,000 this year to cover lifeguard and instructional staffing costs from the City of Deadwood, and approved an occupational-therapy contract with Building Blocks Therapy with minor adjustments.

Board members cast a roll-call vote to select Tanya Gray for the ASBSD ballot seat representing the Western region after reviewing candidate profiles. The board also amended the previously approved brown-bag permit to expand the permitted dates to cover July 3–5 and voted to approve that change.

A personnel matter drew extended discussion: Dr. Chris read a letter from special-education teacher Abby Jacobs requesting that the April 1 deadline for a district longevity benefit be waived; she said she has 11 years of service and requested consideration. Board members discussed precedent and procedural rules. "The dates are out there. The teachers know when they are. They were due April 1st," one board member said, noting a concern about setting a precedent; another board member pointed to earlier exceptions in practice. A motion to award the longevity benefit to Abby Jacobs was made but died for lack of a second. The board then voted to amend the agenda to add an executive session for personnel after public forum to consider the matter further.

What it means: Most items were routine approvals that will move forward without further public action. The longevity-benefit request was not approved on the floor because a motion lacked a second; the board chose to address the personnel matter in executive session after public forum.

Votes and procedure: Most motions reported in the meeting were approved on roll call (motions to approve the agenda amendment, minutes, expenditures, financial statements, personnel list, insurance renewals, calendars, change order #12, the swim contract, Building Blocks Therapy contract, ASBSD ballot selection and the brown-bag permit amendment). For several routine approvals the board recorded unanimous roll-call "yes" votes; the motion to grant the longevity benefit failed to proceed because it lacked a second.