Watertown Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen Delivers Final Report on Legislative Hopes and District Calendar

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Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - In a comprehensive report delivered during the final segment of the March 9 Watertown School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Jeff Danielsen updated the board on the home stretch of the state legislative session and the impending decisions regarding the district’s academic calendar.

Pierre Update: Holding Out Hope for Funding

With the 2026 legislative Session scheduled to wrap up on March 12, followed by “Veto Day” on March 30, Dr. Danielsen noted that school funding remains the primary focus of district leadership. Currently, Governor Larry Rhoden has proposed a 1% increase in state aid, though the district remains cautiously optimistic for a higher figure.

“The Governor has moved school funding to a 1% increase, but we are still holding out hope for additional dollars,” Dr. Danielsen reported in the district’s Grapevine newsletter, which accompanied his presentation. He encouraged stakeholders to monitor the status of various bills as the Session concludes.

Snow Days and the Academic Calendar

A point of unique interest this year is the district’s lack of “snow days” thus far. Dr. Danielsen informed the board that no final decision on how to handle the unused, built-in emergency days would be made until the April board meeting.

At that time, the board will need to decide whether to officially reduce the number of instructional days in the calendar—potentially allowing for an earlier summer break—or to maintain the current end date and pay staff for the additional time.

“We Take Them All”: A Vision for Public Service

Beyond the logistics of funding and scheduling, Dr. Danielsen shared a poignant reflection on the mission of public education, citing a story from the periodical School CEO regarding advocate Jamie Vollmer.

The story, which Danielsen summarized for the board, recounts an interaction between Vollmer—then a private businessman—and a veteran teacher. When Vollmer argued that schools should run more like businesses, the teacher replied that businesses have the luxury of returning “sub-par” raw materials, whereas public schools do not.

“We take them all—big, small, rich, poor, hungry, abused, brilliant, creative, curious, cautious, frightened, with ADHD, with English as their second language,” Danielsen quoted from the article. “And that’s why it’s not a business. It’s school”.

Dr. Danielsen doubled down on this sentiment, stating, “Parents aren’t keeping their best ones at home. Every one of our students is somebody’s baby”.

Additionally, Dr. Danielsen reminded the community of several key dates in March:

·         March 16-17: No school for Preschool, Junior KG, and Kindergarten due to screening and registration events.

·         March 18-20: Spring Break - No school for the entire district.