School plans for South Dakota separate candidates in third Republican governor debate
Frontrunner touts Mississippi model but says no to ‘mandatory pre-K’
The frontrunner for South Dakota’s Republican nomination for governor said his plan to improve student performance will not include mandatory public preschool, as differing ideas about education highlighted the candidates’ third and final scheduled debate.
The televised event was staged Monday evening at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. Moderators from Sioux Falls Live and The Dakota Scout asked the candidates how they would improve the state’s 52 percent student proficiency rate in English language arts and 44 percent in math.
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who has led in every publicly released poll so far, pointed to Mississippi’s recent education gains as a model, saying the state went “from 49th in reading to ninth.”
“The only difference is that Mississippi has a visionary governor in Tate Reeves, who went all-in on saying that our kids are going to read,” Johnson said. “And when I’m governor, that’s what I’ll do.”
Mississippi’s efforts have included state-funded preschool. Moderator Patrick Lalley asked Johnson, “Are you willing to say it’s time for South Dakota to have pre-K available in every school district in the state of South Dakota?”
“We’re not going to have mandatory pre-K in this state,” Johnson said, adding that South Dakota could address early childhood learning through partnerships with schools, businesses and nonprofits.
Lalley pressed Johnson again, saying Mississippi officials “talk about the vital role that mandatory pre-K played in turning around those test scores. How can you say you’re going to do that plan but not spend that money?”
Johnson said “we don’t have to take all of that lock, stock and barrel.”
“That would be kind of a lazy approach for a governor to just say ‘whatever they did, we’re going to do,’” Johnson said. “Instead, we’re going to look at what is evidence-based, what is consistent with South Dakota values, what can we budget for and make sure that we can deliver, and let’s together come up with a roadmap.”
South Dakota is one of five states without state-funded preschool, according to a recent report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.
State House Speaker Jon Hansen said the state needs to “put parents back in the driver’s seat” by helping children to attend the school of their family’s choice.
“Whether that’s in public school, or whether that’s non-public school, or homeschool, I’ve been a supporter of scholarships for families, so that they can choose the best education option for their family,” Hansen said.
Asked if the scholarships would be funded by taxpayer money, Hansen said, “correct.”
Businessman Toby Doeden said South Dakota’s K-12 budget has grown, but not enough of the money has gone to classrooms, rural schools, new curriculum or teachers. He said too much has gone to education lobbyists and bureaucrats.
“The fact that half of our grade school students can’t read and write on grade level tells me that we have a serious issue,” Doeden said.
He pledged to create a Department of Government Efficiency that would conduct a statewide audit, including of education, and “make sure the money is going to the people and places that need it the most.”
Gov. Larry Rhoden said he has confidence in his Education Secretary Joe Graves to improve student proficiency. Rhoden said his administration is working to restore phonics-based reading instruction.
“We’ve changed our curriculum already. We are getting rid of Common Core math,” Rhoden said, referencing a past education initiative supported by the Obama administration, “and we’re moving to common sense.”
The primary election is June 2, and early voting is underway. The top vote-getter in the Republican primary for governor needs 35 percent support to avoid a top-two runoff. The winner advances to the Nov. 3 general election, in which the only other candidate for governor so far is Dan Ahlers, a Democrat who is unopposed for his party’s nomination.
Content courtesy of South Dakota Searchlight.
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