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By Jeremy Waltner 
July 7, 2025

Tim L. Waltner outline

South Dakota School Consolidation and Freeman Junior College Connection

National Context and South Dakota’s Educational Crisis

National Consolidation Movement

Reorganization and consolidation emerged as nationwide educational priority

  • South Dakota participation began in 1940s

South Dakota’s Educational Challenges

  • State leaders increasingly concerned about shrinking education system
  • Demographic factors:
    • Declining birth rates
    • Aging population
    • Fewer and larger farms
    • Shrinking rural population
  • Combined factors taking toll on educational infrastructure

Assessment and Legislative Response

1945 Study Findings

Conclusion: “Ours is a state of small school districts, many of which are too small to be efficient and economical government units and equally unsatisfactory as school units”

  • Study identified fundamental structural problems with existing system

Legislative Action: Senate Bill 130 (1967)

  • Requirement: All land in state must be part of 12-year school district
  • Deadline: July 1970 for full implementation
  • Represented culmination of two decades of growing pressure for reform

Statistical Impact of Consolidation

Dramatic Reduction in School Districts

  • 1955-1964: Districts declined from 3,295 to 2,873
  • By 1970-71 school year: Only 283 districts remained
  • Massive restructuring of educational landscape

Transformation of Rural Education

  • Rural school districts across landscape closed
  • Remaining schools absorbed by city-based school districts
  • End of era for dispersed, community-based education

Freeman Junior College and Academy: Unique Connection to Rural Schools

Historical Documentation

Source: “For Half a Century: A History of Freeman Junior College and Academy” (1951)

  • Author: Marie J. Waltner
  • Reveals direct connection between rural schools and college establishment

Founding Vision and Purpose (1899)

  • Founder: Frederick C. Wortman (local pastor and teacher)
  • Identified need: Teacher training facilities for rural districts
  • Specific requirement: Teachers capable of teaching both English subjects and German religious classes
  • Wortman provided impetus for definitive action

Institutional Development Timeline

Early Establishment (1900-1903)

1900: Incorporation of South Dakota Mennonite College

  • October 1903: First school year began in newly constructed college building
  • Building: Known today as Music Hall
  • Initial structure: Combined elementary and high school program

Educational Evolution (1908-1911)

  • 1908: Elementary program discontinued
  • 1908: Name changed to Freeman College
  • Curriculum shift: Increasingly focused on English language instruction
  • Academic organization: Five major departments established, including normal course

Official Recognition and Accreditation

  • 1911: State recognition as teacher training institution
  • 1911: Offered fully accredited high school program
  • 1927: Full provisional standing as junior college granted
  • 1927: Two-year normal course leading to state certificate approved

Normal School Concept and Function

Definition and Etymology

Term origin: French “école normale” meaning standard or model school

  • Purpose: Establish norms and best practices for teacher education

Educational Mission

  • Focus: Training teachers for elementary systems
  • Method: Standardizing teaching methods and curriculum
  • Goal: Ensuring consistent education level across public schools

Impact on Regional Education

Teacher Supply to Rural Communities

  • Historical record: From first graduating classes, school supplied elementary teachers to community
  • 1951 status: Most teachers in surrounding communities were Freeman graduates
  • Department: Teaching training department central to institutional mission

Sustained Contribution Through 1960s

  • Pattern continued into next decade after Waltner’s 1951 documentation
  • Transition period: “By the 1960s the times they were changing”
  • Suggests shift in educational landscape affecting traditional teacher training model

Historical Significance

Bridge Between Educational Eras

  • Freeman College connected one-room school tradition with modern teacher education
  • Institution served as crucial link during transition from rural to consolidated systems

Community-Specific Solution

  • Addressed unique needs of Mennonite community requiring bilingual (English/German) religious education
  • Demonstrated how regional institutions adapted to serve specific cultural and educational requirements

Early Educational Foundation (First 50 Years)

Teacher Education Program Origins

  • Established to meet demand in the Freeman community
  • Connected to South Carolina led college founding

Program Benefits and Structure

  • Geographic Advantage: Students could remain close to home community
  • Career Pathway: Education designed as stepping stone to various life paths
    • Teaching for several years
    • Taking over family farms
    • Marriage
    • Pursuing other careers

Educational Reorganization Era (1960s-1970)

Background Context

Statewide reorganization and consolidation movement in the 1960s

Phase One: Initial Consolidation (July 1968)

  • 13 rural districts joined Freeman Independent School District

Phase Two: Major Expansion (1969)

  • 23 rural districts combined with Freeman public school system

Phase Three: Final Consolidation (1970)

  • Addition of 10 more rural school districts
  • Result: Disappearance of rural schools as separate entities

Freeman Public Schools’ Strategic Success

  • Successful recruitment efforts of rural schools into their system
  • Creation of large district that continues today

Changing Educational Requirements and Institutional Crisis

State Mandate Changes

South Dakota began requiring Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education for grade school teachers

  • End of country school era coincided with increased educational requirements

Impact on Freeman Junior College (FJC)

  • Increased teacher education requirements ended FJC’s two-year teacher training program
  • Institution struggled with how to move forward

Institutional Dilemma

  • Options Considered: Suggestions to phase out either Freeman Academy or Freeman Junior College
  • Community Response: Majority of constituents opposed closing either institution
  • Failed Solutions: Efforts to replace teacher education with vocational programs proved unsustainable

The End of an Era (1985-1986)

Final Decision

  • Date: October 17, 1985
  • Action: FJCFA Corporation members voted to permanently end college program
  • Timeline: End of 1985-86 school year
  • New Focus: Expansion of academy program for lower grades

Historical Irony

  • Late 1800s: Growth of one-room schools sparked establishment of Freeman Junior College
  • Seven decades later: Demise of rural one-room schools led to closing of college program
  • Result: Focus shifted to elementary grades education

Historical Significance

  • Cyclical nature of educational development and decline
  • Adaptation to changing state requirements and community needs
  • Transformation from higher education institution back to elementary focus
  • Reflection of broader trends in rural American education

 

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