State of South Dakota secondary Archives: on Education
Billie Sutton:
Strong economy and workforce start with the right education
One of the most important elements of economic and workforce development is education. It is through carefully designed educational experiences that students find their fit in the workforce. We must give schools the resources to build partnerships with
tech schools and industries to give opportunities to students of all interests. Billie will work with educators to develop tech experiences and explore ways students can earn high school and college dual credit while gaining work experience.
Source: 2018 South Dakota governor candidate website SuttonForSD.com
May 2, 2018
Daniel Ahlers:
Improve educational services for deaf children
Ahlers listed his legislative accomplishments as helping to balance the state's budget while serving on the Appropriations Committee, improving funding for schools, increasing Medicaid reimbursements to critical need service
providers, helping fund the new State Veteran's Cemetery and establishing an advisory council to improve the delivery of educational services for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Source: Argus-Leader on South Dakota legislative voting records
Sep 26, 2019
Daniel Ahlers:
Must invest in schools, teachers and our children
Good jobs follow a good education. We must ensure a high quality education by investing in our schools, teachers and most importantly, our children. In the past 2 years, I have passed legislation to improve educational delivery for students who are
deaf and hard of hearing, fought to increase access and funding for college scholarships and helped increase funding to K-12 education. We did this without raising your taxes.
Source: 2020 South Dakota Senate campaign website DanAhlers.com
Dec 25, 2019
Daniel Ahlers:
Investing in education invests in our present and our future
His top identified platform issues are education, the economy, and healthcare access. "Good jobs follow a good education," stated
Ahlers. "Investing in education invests in our present and our future, driving our economy. Similarly, investing in healthcare access to ensure all have equal access to care is critical to the well-being of the state."
Source: Huron Daily Plainsman on 2020 South Dakota Senate race
Dec 16, 2019
Dennis Daugaard:
Repeal 100 student minimum for state aid to districts
We also must do a better job in the fields of science, technology, engineering, & mathematics. I want to allow local school boards and school administrators to run their own districts. I will be sponsoring bills this year to repeal the 100 student minimu
for state aid to school districts, and to remove the cap on school district reserve fund balances. We must trust local officials to make the best decisions for their districts. And if they fail, we must trust local voters to find new local officials.
Source: 2011 South Dakota State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Dennis Daugaard:
Increase teacher salaries to retain and attract hires
SD will have only one new teacher for each position that comes open and the quality of education suffers when schools cannot be selective and have to hire from a very constricted pool of applicants.
We need to increase the supply of new teachers entering the field, and we need more current teachers to stay in the field. These shortages are caused by demographic and economic factors, but we cannot fix this problem unless we increase salaries.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Dennis Daugaard:
Tuition freeze on college education
Students need to be able to attend college or tech school and finish in a reasonable time without an unreasonable debt. I propose to freeze tuition by using one-time funds to repay debt and continuing our state-subsidized dual credit program.
Last school year, SD students saved more than $2.5 million by using this program--more than $1,000 per student in savings. Completing college credits while in high school also helps that student succeed in college, by reducing the time needed to graduate
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Dennis Daugaard:
Increase enrolment in technical institutes
The Build Dakota Scholarship is making postsecondary education an option for more young people by providing a full-ride scholarship for those who will work in a high-need technical field in SD. Overall enrollment at
the technical institutes went up--and it went up by even more in these high-demand programs. Before we know it, the first Build Dakota scholars will be graduating and entering the workforce in SD.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Jamie R. Smith:
The first thing we should do in our budget is pay teachers
He outlined his priorities, putting education and teacher pay at the top of his list. According to the National Education Association, South Dakota ranked 50th in the nation for teacher salaries. during the 2019-20 school year and again during the
2020-21 school year. Data for 2021-22 is not available on the NEA website. "The first thing we should do in our budget is pay teachers," Smith indicated. He noted the state's ranking when it comes to teacher pay and said, "We need to work on that."
Source: Madison Daily Leader on 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial race
Aug 11, 2022
Jay Williams:
I moved back to SD for quality of schools; focus on that
Williams made the announcement [of his Senate candidacy]: "My family and I moved back to South Dakota for the quality of the schools and the sense of community. I'm afraid our young people and those
considering a move to South Dakota wouldn't make the same choice to raise a family in our great state today. We need a Senator focused on the priorities that matter to South Dakotans," said Williams.
Source: KDLT-TV on 2015 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 19, 2016
Jay Williams:
Served a term on the Yankton school board
"My family and I moved back to South Dakota for the quality of the schools and the sense of community. I'm afraid our young people and those considering a move to South Dakota wouldn't make the same choice to raise a family in our great state today."
U.S. Senate candidate Jay Williams said.We need a Senator focused on the priorities that matter to South Dakotans. "We are excited that Jay has entered the race. He brings a wide range of experience that positions him to be a strong voice."
South Dakota," said South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Ann Tornberg. Born in Gettysburg, South Dakota, Williams has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Madison-Wisconsin and has a Master's Degree in
Computer Science. He has served in the Navy, Peace Corp and mostly recently a term on the Yankton school board. He has been a small business owner in Yankton since 1987.
Source: Dakota Free Press on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 19, 2016
Joel Dykstra:
Voted for abstinence-only sex education
Dykstra voted for HB 1217 (Bill Passed 46-24): An Act to provide for the clarification of sexual abstinence instruction. [Vote to pass a bill that requires schools that teach sexual education to use abstinence-only curriculum
in schools and allows sex education curriculum to be reviewed by any parent, legal guardian, or citizen. The bill prohibits educators from encouraging, promoting, or providing instruction on the use of contraceptives.]
Source: South Dakota state legislative voting records
Feb 7, 2006
John Thune:
Teachers & parents know best how to spend education funds
When our educators have the tools they need, I believe that our children can reach their full potential. South Dakota's rural schools have unique needs. That is why I support education proposals that give schools the necessary resources and
flexibility while keeping them accountable to taxpayers.John has consistently fought for more flexibility for smaller school districts. John believes that local people--parents, teachers, school boards, and administrators--know best how to spend
education tax dollars.
The federal government made a promise to parents and taxpayers in 1975 to fully fund the special education mandate. John believes the federal government should be held accountable for that promise.
While he was in office, John worked to see funding for special education more than double. As Senator, he will work to close the gap to full funding. [Source: Candidate Website ]
Source: Vote-SD.org profile for 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Oct 2, 2004
Kristi Noem:
Schools should teach is US is most special nation in history
I have tasked my administration with creating instructional materials and classroom resources on America's founding, our nation's history, and the state's history. We must also do a better job educating teachers on these three subjects.
Through all of this, our common mission and key objective needs to be explaining why the United States of America is the most special nation in the history of the world.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Kristi Noem:
Re-instill right to pray in school, absent far too long
We began here today with a prayer asking for God's grace and guidance. Yet in our public schools, prayer is absent--forbidden. I am introducing legislation that would allow for a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.
Students can choose to reflect on the upcoming day or have a quiet moment--they can also exercise their First Amendment right to pray. We will protect the freedom to worship and re-instill a right that has been absent for far too long in our schools.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 11, 2022
Kristi Noem:
Teach true, honest history not radical Critical Race Theory
We have to make sure our children know America's promise. We have to teach them the true, honest history of our country. In state after state children are being exposed to radical political ideologies like Critical Race Theory. Our state supports
opportunity for all. We don't teach our children to be divisive and organize them into separate groups based on skin color. I am bringing legislation this year to enshrine these values and protect our students from hatred and division.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 11, 2022
Nancy Turbak Berry:
Increase teacher pay and student spending annually
Senator Turbak Berry voted YES on SB 157, Teacher Compensation. The Bill Passed the Senate 29 - 5. Synopsis: Vote to pass a bill that creates a teacher compensation assistance program. Highlights: - Allocates $4,237.72 in funding per student for th
2006 school fiscal year
- Adjusts the per student allocation annually according to the consumer price index or by 4.3% (whichever is higher) beginning in 2007.
- Establishes a formula to determine the minimum increase in teacher salaries.
Source: South Dakota state legislative voting records
Feb 15, 2007
Scyller Borglum:
Rural education initiative: address gaps in education
Borglum has been traveling around the state for a listening tour about gaps in education access as part of her "rural education initiative" since wrapping up her first legislative session in Pierre.
She said she's heard from residents that they see a need for women and young people to get involved in politics.
Source: Sioux Falls Argus Leader on 2020 South Dakota Senate race
Jul 1, 2019
Steven Haugaard:
I will oppose Critical Race Theory in our classrooms
I will not bow to the demands of powerful lobbyists, special interests, the Chamber of Commerce, Big Tech, or any other group that demands we sacrifice our right to raise our children free of radical left-wing indoctrination.
I will oppose Critical Race Theory in our classrooms and will fight to ban boys from playing on girls' sports teams and being in girls' bathrooms and locker rooms.
Source: 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial website SteveHaugaard.com
Feb 22, 2022
Steven Haugaard:
We must cut unnecessary expenditures for higher education
Higher education has also gone the way of the national trend toward 'letters' as opposed to practical and employable skills. Our completion rates for college age students have floated around 60% for years, but the costs have skyrocketed. In what other
area of life do we reward a 40% failure rate with administrator salaries that rival the salary of the President of the United States? We must cut unnecessary expenditures for higher education and plan strategically for the future.
Source: 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial website SteveHaugaard.com
Feb 22, 2022
William Janklow:
Reward extra teacher effort with extra pay
Whether people will admit it or not today, you're going to see an explosion over the next several years of school teachers in different classrooms teaching to many school districts at the same time over and over throughout the day.
We're asking for legislation to be passed that mandates when teachers teach for more than one school district, they will be compensated accordingly and not just by some set schedule on how many credit hours they have in college
and how many years they've taught. There has to be recognition financially for those people that are taking on this far greater effort and developing those far greater skills,
and not all of us are capable of doing it. Some of us are. Some of us aren't.
Source: State-of-the-State Address to South Dakota House
Jan 9, 2001
William Janklow:
$9500 for college tuition for all Regents grads
The Mickelson Scholarship program [included a] $1500 stipend that had to be matched by the universities for students who were National Merit Scholar semifinalists. The success rate on the Mickelsons has not been good for the expenditures. [Under our new
scholarship proposal, students] will have to use it for 4 consecutive years whenever they start. They can't quit college and then come back. They'll get a progressively higher amount every year-$1500, $2000, $2500, $3000. It will be $9500 to the student
over a four-year period of time. To qualify is very, very simple. - They have to have successfully completed the Regents' recommended high school curriculum.
- They must start it within one year of graduation and complete it within five years.
- They have to continue to have a grade point of 3.0 or higher.
- They have to take at least 15 credit hours every semester as a minimum, and they have to pass the proficiency exam on the first time.
Source: State-of-the-State Address to South Dakota House
Jan 9, 2001
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023