G. Moritz, editor
The Garretson School Board met in regular session on Monday, May 9. The big shock of the meeting was the resignation of Teresa Hulscher as the Garretson Elementary Principal.
After the board convened and they approved the consent agenda, School Board President Shannon Nordstrom wanted talk about the resignation. Specifically, he praised Hulscher and thanked her for 14 years of service to the district.
Speaking with Hulscher after the meeting, she told the Gazette she’d be taking a new job as a principal for another district.
“I can’t give any details right now, not until it is finalized,” she said. “I will plan to be sending out a letter to parents as soon as I can, and I’ll be here until the end of the school year. This new position I will be taking is to advance my professional career and personal growth. When it’s official, and I can talk about it, I think people will understand that it makes a lot of sense for me as a career move. That said, I want to say that Garretson will always be near and dear to my heart. Last year, the senior class who graduated was the first class I had known all through-out their school lives here, from preschool to graduation. That was a very special feeling for me. I will miss Garretson, but this next step makes a lot of sense for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Moving on to new business the board discussed and settled on July 18 as the last meeting of 21-22 school year and the first of the 22-23 school year. This is later in the month to accommodate Board President Nordstrom’s travel schedule. School Business Manager Jacob Schweitzer then led the board through the financial documents and reviewed a first draft of a proposed budget for the next year. They set a budget hearing time for 6:15 p.m. of that July 18th meeting.
Next, the Board discussed and then voted on the South Dakota High School Activities Association amendments. They voted yes to the seven amendments put to them from SDHSAA.
Next the board focused on policy reviews. Supt. Guy Johnson presented the “Programs for Handicapped Children” policy as something that would need a complete revision. The policy hadn’t been looked at in 15 years and Supt. Johnson said it would need a complete rewrite to comply with today’s standards.
They had a first review of their hazing and prohibition of corporal punishment policies. Supt. Johnson said that currently, the anti-bullying policy covers many of the same topics that the hazing policy does, so in theory it could simply be eliminated for simplicity. Nordstrom said that he preferred to have that specific wordage in policy to let people know where the district stands on the issue. No substantial changes needed to be made to the corporal punishment policies. These two will come back for final review at the June meeting.
Supt. Johnson then gave his administrative report, though it was fairly brief.
“It’s the second week of May, and as we get closer and closer to the last day of school and graduation, we’ve got lots of stuff going on, with the days as full as our teachers can make them. That combined with sports activities as our Golf and track teams travel to events means every day is busy. Things are getting wrapped up for the year, and that’s pretty much the whole of my report.”
There were no updates from the Prarie Lakes Coop.
With that the board hosted an executive session for a personnel matter.
Editor’s Note: The Gazette learned from the School Board minutes of the special meeting of May 2nd, published in this issue, that GHS Elementary Teachers Jodi Neugebauer and Samantha Bruns are also resigning at the end of this school year.
UPDATE 5/12/22: The Garretson School District released a formal letter from Principal Hulscher announcing her resignation and acceptance of a position at St. Michael Elementary in Sioux Falls.
Dear Garretson Elementary Parents and Students,
It is with mixed emotions that I write this letter to inform you of my recent resignation as your school principal. I recently accepted the principal position at St. Michael Elementary School in Sioux Falls and will begin my duties there in July.
While I am excited to begin this next adventure in education, I feel so much sadness in knowing that these next few days will be the last days spent with such a wonderful group of teachers and students. The teachers at Garretson Elementary are some of the very best! Their energy and creativity lead to fun learning opportunities for your children, their love for children is witnessed in their relationships, and their dedication needs to be commended. I have loved leading and learning with this group of professionals and know that their next administrator will as well.
Garretson Elementary students will always hold a special place in my heart. This student body knows nothing different than learning amidst a world-wide pandemic, allowing them to demonstrate true compassion for others and a perseverance like that of no other group of students. They have laughed and cried together, played and argued with one another, celebrated and failed together, but most importantly, learned together. My hope is that I’ve helped make a positive imprint on their lasting memories of elementary school.
Fortunately, my new position does not require for me to relocate. I will continue to be a part of the Garretson Community, allowing me to maintain the relationships I’ve made with several families and community members. Garretson is a very generous community, one that I’m proud to have raised my own children in. Thank you, parents, for all of the support you give the school and its teachers. And thank you for sharing your most precious gifts, your children, with me for fourteen years.
I look forward to watching the Garretson Elementary School continue to shine under new leadership. I wish you all the best and thank you again for all you’ve done to help me grow as an administrator.
My best wishes always,
Teresa Hulscher
