Rutland School District - Consolidation Information – How did we get here?
Rutland and Oldham-Ramona’s administration began discussing potential consolidation of the two school districts in the fall of 2020. Brian Brosnahan and Michael Fischer met on a number of occasions to discuss the direction of each district, and mutually decided to approach their respective school boards about moving forward with the possibility of combining (April, 2020). Each administrator believed that moving forward with a consolidation would provide more opportunities for students (both academic and extra-curricular) as well as solidify the identity of both districts for many years to come.
On June 2, 2021, the two districts held a community meeting at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse, in Madison, SD. During the meeting, Mr. Tom Oster from Dakota Education Consultants presented on possible district reorganization/consolidation. Then, at the regular June school board meetings, each district approved moving forward with formally hiring Mr. Oster to help oversee the process and each administrator created a committee to prepare a consolidation plan to further explore the possibility.
The committee was made up of 14 individuals (administration, teachers, school board members, and students) with 7 members coming from the Rutland District and 7 members coming from the Oldham-Ramona District. A committee update was presented to the public on October 29-30, 2021 during community meetings held in Rutland, Ramona, and Oldham.
The completed consolidation plan was presented to each district in November 2021. Following the approval of the consolidation plan by each district, the plan was sent to the State of South Dakota for review in December 2021. Upon review, the Secretary of Education identified some areas within the plan that needed refinements/additions/changes. The plan was updated and approved to be resubmitted by both school districts in March 2022. The SD Department of Education notified each school district that the consolidation plan was approved to move forward on March 22, 2022. A joint community meeting was held on April 22, 2022 to present the consolidation plan to the public, with time designated for public comments and questions. The election date for the reorganization of the Rutland School District and Oldham-Ramona School District is May 10, 2022, with absentee voting opening on April 25. The election dates were set by the State of South Dakota.
In order for consolidation to occur, a 50%+1 majority vote, in each school district, must pass on May 10th. If one district votes a majority and the other does not, the consolidation fails. In the event the vote fails, both school boards would need to decide whether or not to hold another vote (district registered voters could submit a petition).
Initially, the districts calculated that consolidation could take place by passing a bond and building a new school (projected at $18-$19 million dollars) without major tax implications (or increases). Unfortunately, there has been an unprecedented increase in building costs and materials which has now caused the estimate for a new building to be $28-$29 million dollars. Due to this increase in building and materials there will be tax implications for individuals of the school district (outlined below).
Upon review of this material please feel free to call Superintendent, Mr. Brian Brosnahan, at the Rutland School for further comment or questions (605-586-4352). Thank you.
Where we’re at, why we’re proposing, and what’s our cost?
· Current school buildings at both districts are around 100 years old. Each building has a newer addition (added within the last 10 years) to accommodate some additional space, classrooms, and kitchen/cafeteria. Both additions will be paid off before consolidation would take effect.
· The two school districts have been an activity/athletic cooperative for many years.
· Both school districts rely on open enrollment for higher student numbers. With a forecasted decline in future enrollment, consolidating and opening a new location will provide additional opportunities to our in-district students, while further attracting potential open enrolled students.
· Initial tax implications for the new district (for the new school) were projected to keep property taxes stable (or decrease). Due to inflation, that will no longer be possible.
· If one (or both) of the school districts lose each other, identities will be lost. Athletics and extracurriculars would need to COOP with a neighboring district, such as: Sioux Valley, Colman-Egan, Chester, Howard, Lake Preston, Arlington, or Madison.
· If one (or both) of the school districts dissolves, home and agricultural property taxes will be transferred and paid to a new school district.
· On May 10th the consolidation election vote will be held from 7:00AM to 7:00PM in the Rutland gym. All registered voters are encouraged to cast their vote “for” or “against” the consolidation of Rutland and Oldham-Ramona.
What is included in the plan?
· Intentions regarding attendance centers. The plan recommends each existing attendance center would continue “as is” for the first two years (while a new building is being constructed), with financial cuts to administration and potential “dual-role” positions. NOTE: Once the new district is formed, the newly established school board would need to call for a bond vote to be able to finance the construction of a new school building. The bond vote would need 60% in favor to pass before construction could begin. If the bond vote fails, the newly formed school board would need identify an attendance center for elementary and one for junior high and high school.
· The new district will carry a $500,000 opt out for five years. All other existing opt outs from the districts would go away (as of July 1, 2023) with the passing of consolidation. The new school board will make any and all decisions as to whether or not (or how much) monies from this will be utilized for the first two years of operation (in existing attendance centers). The new opt out would also provide a buffer for future situations if the bond for the new school fails.
· Rutland’s taxes would initially decline with the consolidation and an opt out of $500,000. Initially, a typical decrease would be about $1.13 per thousand on tillable land until a bond was passed for the new building. Once passed the bond would increase property taxes back to their current levels plus add an additional (forecasted) 26 cents per thousand over the current taxes in place today (4/27/2022).
· The plan is to build a new 73,000 sq. foot school on, or near US HWY 81. A sketch of what the new facility might look like can be found here: https://www.rutland.k12.sd.us/page/consolidation-information ***Remember, these drawings are only a possibility, nothing has been decided or finalized.
· Included in the plan are classrooms (elementary, middle, and high school rooms, shop, agriculture area, music, special education rooms, storage, technology/computer, etc.). There would also be a library, commons, kitchen area, administrative offices area, locker rooms and two gymnasiums. Again, above is a link to seeing what the building “could be.” The rooms and square footage that are included in the drawing are intended to be part of the new facility when final plans are complete.
· The plan also includes parking (with overflow parking), along with a track, football field, and practice fields.
· The end result would be a school district with an enrollment projection of approximately 300 - 320 students. The plan also includes areas designated for future classroom additions if enrollment exceeds capacity.
· For a full copy of the plan that was submitted and approved by the Secretary of Education, please click or visit: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2206/RSD/2031572/Oldham-Ramona-Rutland_Plan_UPDATED.pdf
How much will it cost and how will it be paid for?
· The estimate to complete the entire project (today’s estimate) is $28.3 million.
· Currently, in the Rutland district there is a levy of approximately $2.13 per thousand dollars. Upon passage of consolidation with the $500,000 opt out, the levy would drop to about $1.00 per thousand.
· Once the bond is passed the $1.00 per thousand would increase in order to pay for the bond/new building. It is currently projected that this levy would increase to $2.39 per thousand (26 cents above the levy amount currently being paid).
· The bond would be paid off over thirty years.
· Please note that these levy amounts are a projection for tillable agriculture land.
What is the timeline?
· The vote for consolidation is Tuesday, May 10th from 7:00AM to 7:00PM in the Rutland gymnasium (Oldham-Ramona has their own voting locations). A 50%+1 vote is needed to approve the consolidation.
· If consolidation is passed by both districts, a new School Board would be elected in (or around) November of 2022.
· The new school district (Oldham-Ramona-Rutland) would begin July 1, 2023.
· The new school board would be responsible for passing a bond resolution (cannot legally pass this resolution until after the new district takes effect on July 1, 2023), agreeing on a new school plan, and location.
· With the passage of the bond (which requires a 60% vote), construction could begin with the new school projected to open in August of 2025.
· Without the passage of the bond, the new school board would have to decide on attendance centers (where students would be transported to for their schooling). Most likely they would split up the attendance centers and have elementary attend in one town/building and middle/high school attend in the other.
How can I learn more – What can I do?
· Access the Rutland School District’s “consolidation” page can be found here: https://www.rutland.k12.sd.us/page/consolidation-information
· Speak with other community members and strive to take emotion out of your conversations. Ask yourself, what is best and strive to make an informed decision based on what you know and what you believe is right.
· Community “buzz” isn’t always factual information. We encourage you to be informed by the Rutland School - Contact Supt. Brian Brosnahan, brian.brosnahan@k12.sd.us, or call 605-529-5464.
· Reflect on what’s important. As Mr. Oster has expressed, if you don’t think that you’re able to vote in favor of the bond, please think carefully about whether you want to vote for consolidation. We are certainly not striving to “sway” how you vote, rather emphasizing that the new consolidated district will need a bond passed in order to build a new facility for our students and community to be proud of. Thank you!