Small Schools Have Option For Distance Learning

By Victoria Wicks
Small schools in South Dakota can avoid consolidation by offering certain subjects through distance learning. A Senate bill is heading for final discussion in the House with strong recommendations from the House Education Committee.
Senator Mark Johnston says he visited schools that currently use the Innovation Lab concept, with teachers onscreen interacting with students.
He wants to use this process to keep small schools from having to consolidate.
Johnston says Senate Bill 96 is simple: if a district with fewer than 100 students is in an educational consortium, it doesn’t have to consolidate.
The senator says corporate partners include Sanford Health and DuPont Pioneer.
“These kids that are being developed in our smaller innovative lab schools today are going to be great commodities—great commodities for future businesses,” he says. “They’re going to be great for creating new jobs, new ideas.”
The House Education Committee passed that bill unanimously, but there was disagreement about a companion bill, House Bill 1213.
That bill proposes giving three choices to schools that drop below 100 students: lose state money, consolidate with another school, or enter into consortiums.
Currently, state law requires consolidation, and Representative Julie Bartling says she has never been comfortable with that. 
“But I do believe the way the statute reads right now, if they don’t reorganize, then the department of education begins that organization process for them,” Bartling says. “I believe if we’re going to leave it in that arena, then leave it in that arena, for the department to do that. With all due respect, I believe 96 is the carrot, whereas 1213 is actually still a stick.”
House Bill 1213 passed through the Education Committee by a vote of 9 to 6. It now goes to the full House for debate.