Education is the bedrock of economic development and the key to expanding opportunity in South Dakota.  We must ensure that every student is prepared to enter the workforce, or successfully attend a technical institute or university.  Our young people should have the skills to be productive citizens and to take advantage of the economic opportunities of our state.

Like everyone, I would like to put more funding into our schools.  But we shouldn’t let the funding debate distract us from the larger question.  Like any other government function, we should measure the success of schools by the results they produce – not by how much we spend.  There is always room for improvement, but SD schools compare favorably to other states. 

We need to consider ways to increase flexibility for local districts so they can experiment with innovative approaches to improving technology.  We also need to confront the issues posed by the changing demographics of our state, and find ways to recruit more young people to be teachers – especially in high-demand areas like math and science.

School consolidation

I believe in local control of education.  Decisions about school consolidation should be based on only one question:  What is in the best interests of our students?  Some of our small schools do a fantastic job, and there is no reason that they should be closed.  Ultimately, this is a decision that should be made by the parents, educators, and taxpayers of each school district – not in Pierre.