At the regular January meeting held on January 12, 2026, the Wessington Springs School Board voted to extend the terms of two board members due to changes in state election law.
Board members Dustin Weber and Kasie Sealy, whose terms were set to expire, will now serve through Nov. 30.
The extension follows the board’s decision to set Nov. 3 as its next election date. Because election results will not be canvassed until the board’s November meeting, the school’s attorney suggested the board make a motion to extend the terms through the end of November.
The change is tied to new election requirements passed by the South Dakota Legislature. House Bill 1130, approved during the 2025 session, requires school districts and municipalities to move local elections from the traditional first Tuesday in April to either the state primary election in June or the general election in November.
Under the mandate, school boards must hold elections on either June 2, the date of the state’s primary election, or Nov. 3, which coincides with the general election. Lawmakers say that HB 1130 was enacted to increase voter participation in local school and municipal elections.
