While fewer students are enrolled in the Yankton School District now than there were 40 years ago, the number of certified teachers has risen by 15 percent.
District officials say the discrepancy is because of an increase in special-education teachers hired to work with children with disabilities.
The Yankton Press and Dakotan reported in a two-part series that there are 24 more certified staff employed by the school district this school year than there were in 1970-1971, and 21 of those are special education teachers.
"The bottom line is, the program has grown from one teacher to today when we have a budget well over $3.5 million per year," said schools Superintendent Joseph Gertsema. "I don't see an end to that because the needs of special education students continue to grow."
In the 1970-71 school year, the district had about 3,300 students. This year, enrollment is down nearly 30 percent — a decrease of about 725 students.
Among the staffing changes between the school years: There's one additional music teacher, two more elementary physical education teachers, three more guidance counselors and one fewer librarian. The number of elementary school teachers has dropped from 70 to 56.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard said in last month's State of the State address that test results in the state's schools are lagging those in other states despite an increase in teachers and money spent per student.
Statewide, he said student enrollment has dropped from 173,006 students to 123,629 — a 28 percent drop — between 1971 and this school year. In the same period, the state has added 869 teachers.
Joyce Wentworth, former student services director with the Yankton district, said the breakdown in Yankton mirrors the rest of the state as federal funding is now tied to states having developed policies to ensure free public education to all children with disabilities.
"Up until 1975, kids who needed help — those with the extreme disabilities — didn't come to school," Wentworth said. "They stayed home and had services come to them."
Since the '70s, the number of students with disabilities in the district has risen from 15 to 417.
In 1972, the district began a Learning Disabilities Program that consisted of one director, one teacher and four aides. This school year budgeted for 17 certified teachers, 55 support staff and one Braillist.
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Information from: Yankton Press and Dakotan, http://www.yankton.net/
