Irene-Wakonda School District 13-3

Irene-Wakonda School District 13-3, a U.S. local government school district headquartered in Irene, South Dakota, receives federal grants as a prime recipient focused on K-12 education funding programs and operates as a sub-recipient on pass-through awards from the South Dakota Department of Education and the State of South Dakota. The district does not hold federal contracts and operates exclusively within the federal grant funding stream.

The district's federal footprint centers on two agencies, split across education and nutrition programs. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 25 of 34 total awards, anchored by five consecutive annual Small, Rural School Achievement Program formula grants awarded on July 1 of each year from 2022 through 2026, with the most recent grant (July 1, 2026) extending through September 30, 2027. The Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 9 awards, primarily reflected in sub-grant flow-through to the district for National School Lunch Program block grants, Title I, Title IV, and Title IIA Rural Education Achievement Program funding. As a sub-recipient, the district receives pass-through grants from South Dakota Department of Education covering Title I Basic, Title I, school lunch operations, and GEER awards, and from the State of South Dakota on emergency assistance funding. The district holds a prime role on 53% of its awards (18 of 34) and functions as a sub-recipient on 47% (16 of 34), with sub awards concentrated in nutrition and instructional support programs that flow through state intermediaries rather than direct federal award.

Activity has been sparse and irregular — one award in 2022, eight in 2023, four in 2024, five in 2025, and one in 2026 — reflecting the formulaic nature of K-12 education grants and the timing of state pass-through allocations. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $943 thousand, indicating modest absolute scale. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal recompete exposure in the near term. The district's federal grants serve operational functions: small-school program supplementation, instructional resources, and school nutrition administration for a rural South Dakota student body.