By 
Elementary grading continued to be a major topic of discussion as the Watertown School Board met on Monday, June 8.
The district is in the midst of a years-long process to review and update policies, having a first reading of approximately ten policies each month. The following month, with the second reading, the policies are formally adopted by a vote of the school board.
Monday was the first reading of Policy IKA, which deals with grading. Board member Jean Moulton reiterated concerns she expressed at the board’s February meeting, most notably that the grading scale at the elementary level does not acknowledge or award students who exceed goals for their grade level.
“I think it’s important, particularly at the elementary level, to be providing students with incentives,” Moulton said. “I believe we should be using the fourth column for incentives… It’s important to reward excellence.”
Moulton said these concerns were brought to her by parents and veteran teachers. She also cited grading scales from other ESD schools, which incorporate other grading measures. However, fellow board member Roshal Rossman countered that she was actively seeking teachers and parents who wanted to see the current policy changed.
“The only people I’ve talked to are saying they absolutely do not want the fourth (column) added,” Rossman said.
Rossman further explained that adding another column, or letter grade, would require reworking the entire grading system. She also expressed concerns about placing the onus on teachers to designate some students as “superior.”
“I had a resounding ‘no’ from about 15-20 people that I heard from,” Rossman said.
The board will formally vote on this policy at its second reading next month.
Supt. Dr. Jeff Danielsen provided the board with an update on the school district’s three-year strategic plan. Danielsen spoke on the district’s efforts to address student safety, maintain fiscal health, community outreach, and academic opportunities for students. Student, parent, and staff surveys also reveal widespread satisfaction with the Watertown School District.
Danielsen said the current plan ends with the 2026-27 academic year, and the next plan will begin development in early 2027.
Recent graduate Whitney Martinsen was honored for being named a semifinalist in the 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
The board accepted the resignations of three individuals from Lake Area Technical College and nine from K-12. This includes Aaron Kinowski, who resigned his position as assistant principal at the intermediate school after one year. Assistant Superintendent Derek Barios said the district plans to fill that position.
President Tiffany Sanderson presented the Lake Area Technical College portion of the meeting and reported on graduate outcomes for the Class of 2025. Based on returned surveys, two students had not found employment, entered the military, or continued their education. Eighty-seven percent of graduates are employed in their field of study, and 83 percent stayed in South Dakota.
The board awarded Gray Construction the bid for the new agricultural commodities lab at LATC. The total cost for this project is estimated at just over $232,000. Also approved was the purchase of furniture and instructional technology for the project. A grant from the CHS Foundation will cover the cost of these purchases.
Additionally, the board approved the purchase of airplane equipment and manikins (anatomic models) for LATC and surplussed several pieces of property. LATC entered land lease agreements with Dunnick and TransSource for training spaces for heavy equipment and commercial driver license programs.
In other actions, the board approved:
- commercials for ArrowTV.
- contracts for offering special services remotely.
- a supplemental budget to close the 2025-26 school year.
