Middle School Students, please stop by the school to register from 9-12, and 1-4 tomorrow, Wednesday August 7th. High School registration will be Thursday, August 8th during the same times. Looking forward to a great year!
Good morning! The locker rooms have been cleaned and there are still several unclaimed clothing items. Please pick them up today by 3pm or they will be donated. Thank you!
Help us get school supplies to families that need them. You may donate locally (Langers, Vilas, or Dollar General) or through Gettysburg Pto’s Amazon Wishlist.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2QRL1EHUI5YF0?ref_=wl_sharer
You may also donate financially through the QR code shown below.
Reminder: Any student athletes participating in any sport for the 24-25 school year must attend the PC Sports Meeting this Thursday, August 1st, with a parent. 5:30 in Hoven or 7:30 in Gettysburg. If physicals are completed, please bring paperwork packets to the meeting. Thanks!
Join our Battler Family!
The Potter County Fair Talent Show is just around the corner. It would be awesome to have local students perform in the show! Contact Kim Goebel at marielynnmatthew@gmail.com or contact her at 605-769-1343 if you are interested! Deadline to receive your information is Tuesday, July 30th by NOON.
The positive response has been overwhelming, and we're confident that our district is moving in the right direction for student success!
Gettysburg School District is excited to announce that we are now a device-free school! See the website, app, or Facebook for an image describing the initiative. Watch the video link to learn more. https://vimeo.com/703843747
Join us for a Paint a Tile Fundraiser to support the Elementary Student Council during homecoming week!
Sign up at the front office Monday- Thursday 9-12 or 1-4 or Friday from 9-12.
Cutoff for registration is August 5th.
All area churches will start religious classes after Labor Day.
See the poster for more info!
The PC Coop Athletic Meeting is set for Thursday, August 1st at 5:30 PM in Hoven and 7:30 PM in Gettysburg. All athletes participating in any sports during the 2024-2025 school year are required to attend with at least one guardian. Thank you!
July 1-7 is the SDHSAA summer moratorium. No students or personnel in the gyms or weight room, but community members not associated with any teams, etc. are fine to use the facilities. Thank you!
Great benefits package, SD Retirement, and THE BEST staff family you'll find! Open until filled.
Congratulations to PC Battlers Coach Jessica Larson, the SD Coaches Association Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year!
Opt-Out Results:
370 total voters (36%)
203 No (I do not support the Opt-Out)
167 Yes (I do support the Opt-Out)
2024-2025 Sports Participation and Physical Packets are now available at the school office, the local clinic, or on www.gettysburg.k12.sd.us; click on "menu" and the link is on the top left. We would like ALL athletes to have their forms completed by the beginning of the school year. Those participating in fall sports, they must be turned in before the first practice! Thank you!
Dear Patrons,
We encourage you to come to the school today 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00 to absentee vote, or from 7AM-7PM tomorrow, Tuesday, June 25th! EVERY VOTE COUNTS! We would be grateful for your support and a YES VOTE!
Why does the district need an Opt-Out?
The General Fund is capped by the number of students enrolled. This year alone, our student enrollment is down by 10 students, which is $80,000 less available in our General Fund.
What happens if the Opt-Out passes?
For a period of five years, the district will have the ability to increase the amount of property taxes allocated to our General Fund, for staff and operating expenses. We will only ask for what we need to maintain our current programs and student opportunities. To offset this, we will decrease the amount of Capital Outlay funds we request.
What happens if the Opt-Out fails?
The district will be facing a shortfall in the General Fund and will have to request more tax dollars in Capital Outlay than we actually need in that fund, with the intention to transfer 45% of that to the General Fund each year. Our use of these funds is more restricted and not designed to fit our spending needs, as opposed to this more tailored approach of an Opt-Out. We can only operate this way for so long before programs/staff cuts will need to be made. This is a loss of opportunities to our students.
If the Opt-Out fails, the county will step in and help the district, right?
No. The schools in SD receive a county apportionment, which is collected from fines. The Gettysburg District's is about $20,000 per year. This is not something the county can raise, and even if the dollars were higher, it is considered part of our local effort, and would therefore reduce the state aid we would receive.
We appreciate our patrons and continued support for the Gettysburg School District!
Dear Patrons of the Gettysburg School District,
To continue to educate our patrons as you prepare to vote on the upcoming Opt-Out resolution, we would like to provide a few more examples and clarifications that will hopefully help you make an informed decision.
The purpose of the Opt-Out is to ensure that we have adequate funds in our General Fund, which pays for the general operating expenses of a district. About 80% is used to pay salaries and benefits. Since 2022, we have reduced teaching staff by 4 through attrition, resulting in approximately an 11% reduction in staff. This provides significant savings to the General Fund, but with declining enrollment and rising expenses, we continue to transfer funds from Capital Outlay, as permitted by state law. This year the state gave public schools an increase of 4%, which is appreciated and above what state law requires. The district gave all staff a 3% increase, utilizing the rest to help with classified increases and operating costs. Last year, we had eight certified staff members whose salaries were below the new $45,000 minimum, resulting in a need to increase those salaries from 3%-7%.
The goal of the Opt-Out is to generate more tax revenue for the General Fund, without borrowing from, and protecting the integrity of, the Capital Outlay fund, which was established for transportation, facilities, updates, and maintenance. What looks like a very large balance in this fund will soon be much smaller due to the new HVAC system in the elementary, as well as several expensive, but necessary, updates and maintenance to football and old gym bleachers, transportation, parking lots, technology equipment, curriculum, etc. that are phased out and budgeted for each year.
Capital Outlay revenue is collected based on a per-student allocation set by the State of SD, and all properties are taxed at the same rate. We may only transfer up to 45% of the revenue collected each year- we cannot utilize the balance Capital Outlay as if it were a savings account. There are two sides to responsible management of the Capital Outlay Fund. One, we want to ask for only what we need from our taxpayers for these expenses, and two, collect and maintain enough funds to ensure we are providing safe facilities, transportation, technology, etc., for our staff and students.
The Opt-Out provides us with the ability to ask for tax revenues over and above the levy the state sets. This will allow us to continue offering the same quality education and co-curricular opportunities, even with a significant decline in student enrollment. The funds received from the Opt-Out are not included in our local effort, therefore they do not decrease the amount of state aid that we will receive. (SDCL 13-13-10.1 (13); 10-13-42)
Should the Opt-Out pass, each year’s need will be different, based on student enrollment, therefore the amount the district requests will change. This first year, we would request $500,000 of the available $650,000. This is because we will only receive $250,000 of that for this remaining tax year. We will still supplement the budget with Capital Outlay funds but will ask for less from Capital Outlay should the Opt-Out pass. This will help offset the increase to the General Fund.
The $650,000 is a need we hope to never ask for…but we cannot predict significant enrollment declines or unexpected legislation over the next five years and would never want to ask for an Opt-Out on top of an Opt-Out. Our hope is that we can ask for less than $500,000 for the 2026 tax year. Please see the image on our live feed or Facebook for estimates of tax increases if the Opt-Out were to pass.
The Gettysburg School Board and Administration are grateful for our community's support of public education and the opportunities it provides. Please stop up during school hours to ask questions or vote absentee; call 605-765-2436, or email amber.mikkelsen@k12.sd.us with any questions. The election is this Tuesday, June 25th from 7AM-7PM at the school. Please be sure to cast your ballot and we would be grateful for your YES vote on the Opt-Out. Thank you!
The Board of Education and Administration at Gettysburg School District would like to help everyone make informed decisions as you prepare to vote in the Opt-Out election on Tuesday, June 25th. What is an Opt-Out? An Opt-Out allows a school district to collect more property taxes than the amount set by state law. Nearly half of SD School Districts are currently opting out so they have enough funds cover General Fund expenses. Will the school district request the full $650,000 each year for the five years of the proposed Opt-Out? Our intention is only to request what we need, which will be different each year. If passed, we will request $500,000 this first year. The GSD School Board has been diligent in fiscal responsibility over the years…in 2012-2016, they only requested 38% of a possible $1.5M from an Opt-Out. In 2021, the new school bond was refinanced, saving the district over $1,000,000 over the years. Our goal is to continue the tradition of fiscal responsibility, without giving up the programs and opportunities afforded to our students. How much will my taxes go up? (Based on requesting $500,000 of the proposed available $650,000 from the General Fund and reducing the Capital Outlay request by $200,000. Estimated values acquired from SD. Dept. of Revenue and Potter County Dept. of Equalization and updated June 10, 2024.) Homeowners- The average home in Gettysburg has a taxable valuation of $129,774.00. Current taxes on this home would be about $1,025.00 (these numbers are specifically taxes that go to GSD- not total taxes). Should the Opt-Out pass, the homeowner would pay an additional estimated $176.00. This is a 17% increase. Ag Land- Taxes will go up an estimated $19.32 for every $100,000 of taxable
valuation of Ag land. Non-Ag/Other- Properties besides homeowner residences and ag land will go up an estimated $307.36 for every $100,000 of taxable valuation. Why don’t we have enough money? The state of SD funds our schools through a formula that focuses on student enrollment. It costs the same to educate a class or 6 as it does a class of 26. We have plenty in our Capital Outlay fund, why not just continue to transfer funds? The district has been saving for years, knowing that the elementary HVAC project would require significant funds. As of May 31, 2024, there was approx. $2.1M in the Capital Outlay fund. This will be significantly lower over the next year, as we have approx. $1.1M left to pay for the HVAC project and will need to transfer over $200,000 to the General Fund this year. Capital Outlay funds are also limited based on student enrollment, and we can only transfer 45% of the taxes collected each year. We are constantly prioritizing, planning, and budgeting to maintain and prolong the life and quality of our facilities and equipment. Can’t we do more with less? No. This year alone, we are not hiring three vacated teaching positions, but utilizing current staff to cover those responsibilities. Any reduction in staff at this point will likely reduce the student opportunities those staff members provide. The state has set requirements on teacher compensation, giving us little flexibility in determining what we can afford to pay. In the 2022-2023 school year, our cost per student was $13,513. The highest cost in the state that year was $38,135, and the lowest cost per student was $8908. Area schools averaged $18,000-$20,000 per student. Didn’t we just buy two new buses? To maintain a safe and reliable fleet, vehicles must be updated/traded. In 2021, we traded a minibus with high mileage for a new bus but had to wait for 1.5 years for it due to production issues. New government regulations have made it incredibly difficult to find bus drivers for activities. This spring, we traded one of our big buses for a new minibus that any school employee can drive. This gives us flexibility in ensuring we can get our students where they need to go. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to have our own food service rather than hiring a company? We are grateful for our relationship with Taher Foods, due to their buying power and ability to negotiate prices, manage all federal/state guidelines, and provide/train staff. We have not needed to supplement our food service budget for several years. Why are we putting in new heating and cooling in the elementary? Didn’t we just install mini-splits in the classrooms? The elementary school was built in the late 1950’s-1960’s. The heating system has not been updated since, and the mini-splits that were installed in 2019 when windows were replaced, were specifically for cooling purposes only. Finding parts and making worthwhile repairs to the heating system is nearly impossible. How do I vote? You must be registered to vote in the Gettysburg School District. You may vote absentee at the school business office from 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Thursday, and 9-12 on Fridays. The election will be held Tuesday, June 25th from 7AM-7PM.
Show your support for the Gettysburg School District and be sure to VOTE YES on Tuesday, June 25th!
Here we go, Battlers!! Watch PC Battlers track and field live at https://www.sdpb.org/hsactivities/sports/track/?_gl=1*4dswdk*_gcl_au*MTI1NzkzMjczOS4xNzE2NDY4MjE0
