The folks from Mammoth Sports Construction weren’t kidding when they said they wanted to “hit the ground running” on the turf and track project. They started this morning, shortly after 8:00, and wasted no time! As of 4:00 this afternoon, they had the turf removed from the north 20 yards of the field and they were also working in peeling up the old track surface around the SE end of the track. It’s a fascinating process!
Earlier in the year, we were pleased to announce that the Garretson School District was selected for a $1.2 million grant to purchase up to three electric school busses and the purchase and install charging infrastructure for those vehicles. A number of people have asked why we would proceed with the electric busses, and expressed skepticism about whether this is a good thing for our district.
We have spent a significant amount of time over the course of the school year talking with experts, reading about different options and just generally learning about electric vehicles to determine if we should proceed with just part of the grant award or to move forward with the full grant.
Over the course of the past year, we have found that in districts that use the electric busses, there is significant savings in not only fuel costs, but also in maintenance costs associated with running diesel busses. Some studies indicate that the cost of fuel and maintenance on a diesel bus runs close to 49 cents per mile, while the electric busses have a fuel and maintenance cost of approximately 14 cents per mile. Comparisons of electric equivalent “miles per gallon” also tell a positive story, with our average diesel bus getting between 5 and 6 miles per gallon. The estimated electric equivalent “miles per gallon” costs point to approximately 28 MPG. While this is likely the MPG under “ideal” conditions, we are certain that the cost of operation and maintenance on our fleet with be dramatically reduced, thereby having a positive impact on our General Fund.
Right now, we are considering whether to move forward with two electric busses or three. The answer to that will depend, in part, on some of the ancillary costs associated with purchase and installation of charging infrastructure as well as changes to property and liability insurance costs. Our intent is to present this information to the board on April 10. The board will then make a decision as to how we proceed. We are excited to be on the front end of the electric vehicle revolution in SD. It’s even better when the Federal Government, rather than local taxpayers are footing the bill!
In the summer of 2021, all current staff members were trained in a process called the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program. The intent of the training was to provide a structure for professional collaboration that would allow us to better meet the needs of our students with respect to behavior, academics, health concerns and attendance. The first year of implementation was the 21-22 school year. At that time, we knew that we would need to make adjustments to the process that would help with the “fit” of the structure in the context of our school and that this was a new process for our staff, so a learning curve was to be expected. One of the hallmarks of our implementation is that we have set aside time on Wednesday afternoon specifically for collaboration that benefits our students. Had the district attempted to implement the plan without specific time earmarked for collaboration, we knew that the many before and after school obligations of many staff members would prevent the program from being implemented consistently. In the 22-23 school year, we have continued to adjust the program based on feedback from staff. In a recent staff survey, we collected attitudinal data from certified staff regarding the programming as well as the necessity of having specific time set aside to allow for all professional staff to participate.
Quantitative data also supports the assertion that this program is having a significant positive impact on our students. It may be important to note that another supportive intervention put in place for high school and some middle school kids who are at risk of failure is the REACH program. We know that the collective impact of these two programs may be responsible for some of the improved student performance. Quantitative data was collected with respect to the number of students earning grades of “D” and “F” for quarter grades in the middle and high school for the year before implementation (20-21) and the two years since implementation of the program. See the data in the following table.
| MS Quarter grades “D” | MS Quarter grades “F” | HS Quarter Grades “D” | HS Quarter Grades “F | |
| 2020-2021 SY (no GSST) | 158 | 13 | 143 | 31 |
| 2021-2022 SY (first year of SST implementation | 110 | 6 | 127 | 26 |
| 2022-2023 SY (second year of SST implementation, in first two quarters) | 19 | 5 | 32 | 9 |
| 2022-2023 SY Data extrapolated to 4 quarters | 38 | 10 | 64 | 18 |
We knew that we would need to make adjustments to the structure of the program as we worked with it. As with any program, there can be an implementation dip, where the initial results are not as promising as overall expectations would lead us to believe. Year two data indicates that some of the changes to the programming and our familiarity with the process has increased the effectiveness of the program. The 2022-2023 totals are extrapolated based on Q1 and Q2 data. If the trend continues, by the end of year two of implementation, we will have reduced the number of “D” grades in the middle school by 75%. In the high school, the reduction in students earning “D” grades has been 55%. Failing grades in the HS have decreased by nearly 42%. A more modest reduction in failures at the middle school of 23% is also noted. Overall, we have reduced the number of D’s and F’s in the middle school by 72% and in the high school by 53% since the 20-21 school year.
Is Wednesday worth it? The time our staff has earmarked for collaboration for the benefit of our kids definitely makes a difference!