District overview
Standing Rock Community School
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How Standing Rock Community School is run
Standing Rock Community School in Fort Yates is a K-12 tribally controlled grant school on the Standing Rock Reservation, funded mainly through the Bureau of Indian Education. Since 2003 it has run as a single school system with Fort Yates Public School District #4. It has its own five-member school board, which hires Superintendent Mike Talley, approves every hire and contract, and adopts the budget. Because it is a BIE grant school, its budget and audits do not go through the state's school finance system the way public districts' do.
The board approves nearly everything
Minutes show the board voting on individual hires, coaching stipends, purchases over about $5,000 and monthly financial reports, often after closed sessions.
Leadership changed in July 2026
Chair Courtney Yellow Fat resigned on July 20, 2026, a month after the board offered him a Lakota immersion teaching contract. Reva Gates was seated in his place and Margaret Gates became chair.
Votes are often taken by three members
Several major 2026 votes, including a 5% raise for all staff and the 2026-27 budget, passed with two or three yes votes after members left or were absent.
Few documents are posted
The school posts only signed minutes (many as scans) and its current agenda. Budgets, financial reports, the strategic plan and policies are approved in meetings but not posted.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Summer 2026 housing and heating work
approvedOn June 19, 2026 the board approved a $243,953 staff housing remodel paid from general fund money-market interest and HA Thompson and Lillis Electric contracts for heating, air handling and electrical work.
- Consent agenda approved
Funding
General fund interest (housing) and facilities funds
Recent news
All signed board minutes posted in the school's public Google Drive folder from November 2025 through September 2026, plus the current agenda linked from the school board page. Scanned minutes were read using OCR.
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