Watertown School Board approves plan to make up lost storm days (Audio)

March 13, 2023
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN,, S.D.–Watertown School District Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen says in a typical school year, the district will be forced to reschedule two days of school that are lost due to bad weather.

This school year has been anything but typical.

Currently, the district has to make up 7 1/2 school days lost to wintry weather. At Monday night’s school board meeting, there was discussion about how to make those days up.

Danielsen laid out a plan to make up all 7 1/2 days before Memorial Day by lengthening the school day by an additional 30 minutes from March 20th to May 26th (8:15-3:45).

Additionally, there would be a full day of school on April 21st, rather than an early dismissal, and two days would be made up on May 25th and 26th, with the latter of those two days being a 12:30 dismissal.

May 30th, the day before Memorial Day, would be a staff only day, and the final day of the academic year.

Board Member Jon Iverson says lengthening the school day for two months isn’t necessarily an attractive option, but it might be the best one out there…

Board Member Stuart Stein says with South Dakota’s unpredictable weather in March and April, there could be more storm days ahead……

The reworked school calendar was approved by the board unanimously.