Johnson Announces “Strong Schools” Plan to Improve Education
Sioux Falls, S.D. – Today, gubernatorial candidate and Congressman Dusty Johnson announced “Strong Schools,” a set of policies designed to strengthen South Dakota’s schools, improve student achievement, and recognize skilled trades as a pathway to success.
“While others are tearing our schools down, I will work to lift students up,” said Johnson. “My focus is on our future, and education remains our number one tool for upward mobility and achieving the American Dream.”
Johnson’s “Strong Schools” plan has three elements:
- Restore K-12 as South Dakota’s Top Budget Priority: Governor Rhoden recommended, for the first time in state history, that K-12 education would not be the largest item in the state budget. Through conservative, priority-based budgeting, Johnson will restore education as South Dakota’s top budget priority.
- Collaborative Effort to Improve Reading and Math Scores: Johnson will work with educators and families on plans for improving achievement in literacy and mathematics, particularly at the grade school and middle school levels. The effort will refocus achievement efforts on foundational skills and will be in collaboration with those closest to South Dakota’s students – parents and teachers.
- Create a Skilled Trade Pathway to Graduation: This plan will create a clear graduation pathway that permits students to take skilled trade courses as equivalents to upper-level math and science, acknowledging that many skilled courses require applied science and mathematics. Johnson recognizes the importance and merit of technical education and this skilled trade pathway will give students practical education on another pathway to success.
“Now is not the time to defund our schools—it is time to defend our students,” Johnson continued. “The future of South Dakota depends on a strong education system, and I’m committed to restoring our students as South Dakota’s top priority.”
To learn more about “Strong Schools,” please click here.
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Larry has no vision.
Whole lotta words to say a whole lotta nothing.
You’re wrong. Changing graduation requirements to accommodate technical classes is a big deal. This is a good proposal.
No it isn’t, because they already do.
What do you think the advance career endorsement requirements did?
Easy to take a meaningless win by rebranding existing policy.
The only specific math SD requires for high schoolers in Algebra, and the only specific science class is biology.
What “upper level” requirements does Dusty think exist?
my high school required three types of science and three kinds of math.
Left to right. Letters make words. Words make sentences. Sentences make paragraphs. Hope that helps!
but making education the biggest item in the budget just because it is the highest priority reminds me of when Obama said a budget is a list of priorities. So the more important something is to you, the more money you should spend on it, regardless of what it actually costs. If your rent or mortgage payment is more than your health insurance premium, does that mean your home is more important than your health? If your car loan is more than what you spend child care, does that mean the car is more important than the kids? Things cost what they cost and you don’t spend more than you have to just to have bragging rights about your priorities…
Complaining about education funding but no plan to pay for it. Sounds like a Democrat.
Can you read?
Dusty could cure cancer and it still wouldn’t be enough for the so called “grassroots, we da people” crowd.
DC spending is out of control, and South Dakota is willing to do our part to take on more of the burden of costs like Medicaid, but that’s why there’s no additional money available for K-12.
Four facts to remember: 1) over the Noem-Rhoden Administration (including this year), K-12 funding has increased by 6.2% more than the statutory requirement; 2) Congress has shifted the burden for programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and others onto the states; 3) In particular, the feds have shifted Medicaid funding onto South Dakota because our economy is so strong; 4) The Noem-Rhoden Administration made a huge investment in Science of Reading, and we’ll start to see reading scores come up as a result — and we’re actively redoing the math standards to make it easier for parents to help their kids learn math. The Congressman’s late to this party.
Serious leadership means telling people the truth — even when it’s hard — not just what sounds good in a campaign plan. Unlike Congress, SD has to actually balance our budget. Instead of taking political potshots, South Dakota’s congressman should focus on getting DC’s spending problem under control.
Did you just whine about DC shifting costs to states on Medicaid and SNAP while simultaneously whining about DC getting its spending under control? Isnt your gripe an example of precisely that?
Now there’s an idea!
Ian, you have contributed nothing of value to this state. Please take your carpetbagging incompetence elsewhere.
6.5 million is represents a huge investment, but that’s not what you spent on SoR, you gave that to a Utah company to spend on a social studies curriculum your boss rammed down everyone’s throat (to the tune of another million and change). Instead of thinking ahead and budgeting for the necessary training for teachers to use the new curriculum you forced upon them you passed the buck by diverting federal Title II dollars to finance those trainings. Then when the current administration cut Title II you cancelled all the trainings for this summer rather than pull from reserves. So now folks without even the minimal support of Utah-sourced schlock in secondary grades have lip service at best support from the DoE, and you honestly expect English and math teachers are going to look at your track record and get excited? No wonder we have a shortage.
Ian what is Governor Rhoden going to do about donor states annually subsidizing a substantial amount of South Dakota’s annual budget? It is not fair to the taxpayers of the donor states when they have their own issues to deal with. South Dakota’s tax system needs a long overdue overhaul which will require political courage. Will Governor Rhoden have that courage or take the easy route?
the shift of Medicaid cost was predictable and that is why Arizona, Arkansas,Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia have trigger laws to end Medicaid expansion or review it when the federal subsidy ends, because they knew it would.
For the same reason, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming never took the bait, and didn’t expand Medicaid inbthecfirst place.
That’s 22 states where people had enough sense to see the trap that was being set, whereas in all the others, including ours, they just saw the free cheese.
The people voted to expand Medicaid and at the same time, they voted to defund the schools and/or raise their taxes.
the concept of our current state’s political administration openly bashing our congressman in a blog comment section. lol.
maybe focus on finding a campaign director? just a hint. then they could tell you that this isn’t a good look.
the concept of our current state’s political administration openly bashing our congressman in a blog comment section. lol.
maybe focus on finding a campaign director? just a hint. then they could tell you that this isn’t a good look.
Howdy Doody has spent too much time in DC. He has adopted the rhetoric of the swamp. Nobody is talking about defunding education in South Dakota. I’m sick of the BS coming from Johnson, Rhoden for Governor!