PLATTE - The Core Educational Cooperative is set to take over a statewide distance education program currently run by the Mid-Central Educational Cooperative.
At Thursday's regularly scheduled meeting, Core's board of directors voted to approve an agreement between the Dial Corporation and Core, stating Core will act as the fiscal agent for Dial and provide leadership and virtual school administration, according to minutes from the meeting.
Dial Virtual School, a statewide program operated out of Mid-Central, was instituted in 2002 and provides "high quality distance learning classes to over 6,400 class enrollments throughout South Dakota," according to the Mid-Central Educational Cooperative website.
Dial offers courses ranging from English, science and math to business, creative writing and graphic design. Mid-Central currently serves as Dial's "financial agent," meaning it handles the fiscal affairs of the organization.
When Mid-Central dissolves at the end of June, Core will take over those responsibilities.
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Four Dial board of directors members also serve on the Core Educational Cooperative superintendent advisory committee. Those members are Wessington Springs Superintendent Lance Witte, Kimball School District Superintendent Jeff Rieckman, Corsica-Stickney Superintendent Scott Muckey and Platte-Geddes Superintendent Joel Bailey.
Also at the meeting, according to minutes, Interim Director Valerie Johnson proposed that the Core Educational Cooperative enter into an agreement with the Mid-Central co-op for a "lease-purchase of the building" Mid-Central uses in Platte. Mid-Central will be contacted to determine if they would be willing to enter into an agreement.
Currently, the Core cooperative does not have an office. At its first meeting in November, the board determined the city of Platte would be home of the newly-formed cooperative, with a permanent location to be determined in the future, before officially beginning operations this summer.
The board has met at Pizza Ranch and Summit Contracting, both in Platte, and Corsica Elementary School in Corsica.