Noem Releases Plan to Improve Education’s Impact

WATERTOWN, S.D. – Kristi Noem today released a robust plan to improve the impact of South Dakota’s K-12 and post-secondary education systems. The proposal seeks to strengthen elementary and high school education by empowering families, doing more with every taxpayer dollar, creating a culture of performance, rejecting federal overreach, promoting civic education, and exposing kids to in-demand jobs earlier in life. At the same time, Noem seeks to improve post-secondary education by increasing its affordability and arming students with job-ready skills and training.

“We cannot underestimate the influence of a good education,” said Noem. “Students gain confidence and upward mobility, communities often experience decreased crime rates, and employers get access to a skilled workforce, bringing good jobs and higher wages to the area. In many ways, South Dakota excels in the learning opportunities we provide, but as the parent of a high school sophomore, college student, and recent graduate, I can tell you our education system faces challenges too. While recognizing many aspects of a child’s life influence educational success – from family dynamics to school lunches – my administration will work to improve K-12 outcomes and make post-secondary education more affordable and applicable to the modern workforce.”

View or download the complete proposal.

STRENGTHEN K-12 EDUCATION.

South Dakota students consistently produce good test scores, graduate on time, and meet college readiness benchmarks. But many schools struggle to make ends meet, jeopardizing the long-term success of South Dakota’s K-12 education system. As governor, I will be committed to balancing the needs of families, teachers and administrators, and taxpayers as we prepare students for college, the workforce, and citizenship.

Empower families. When it comes to raising kids, family is better than government. As a conservative, I will protect the rights of parents to choose the educational path that’s best for their child, whether it’s homeschooling, public schooling, or a private education. Regardless of a family’s decision, I will work to ensure all students have equal opportunity within the education system.

Do more with every taxpayer dollar. Public education policy is too often evaluated by expenditures, rather than student success. That’s a mistake. We need to focus on creating a better system, not a more expensive one – a goal that can and should be accomplished without taking necessary resources out of classrooms. As governor, I would:

• Work to centralize and standardize purchasing, giving local schools more options to cut costs by taking advantage of the state’s massive buying power;

• Encourage schools to share resources and expand long-distance learning opportunities;

• Assist local school districts in pursuing private funds to mitigate the cost of capital projects;

• Continue leveraging the state’s AAA bond rating to help schools borrow at a lower cost;

• Reform the Department of Education, adopting a model that promotes much closer collaboration with locally elected school boards; and

• Improve transparency in school district budgeting, as proposed in my Sunshine Initiative.

Create a culture of performance. From teachers and administrators to school board members, South Dakota is fortunate to have many talented people dedicated to student success. I want to elevate high-performers while expanding continued learning opportunities for those running our classrooms and school districts. As governor, I will pursue public-private partnerships to financially reward rockstar teachers. For instance, I’d like to collaborate with local businesses to sponsor a robust “Teacher of the Month” program. Additionally, my administration will explore opportunities to improve overall performance through evidence-based school board training and teacher mentorship programs.

Reject Common Core and federal overreach. In the U.S. House, I helped get legislation signed into law limiting the federal government’s role in our education system. As governor, I will take advantage of those flexibilities, continuing to reject Common Core and seeking appropriate waivers and grants to customize South Dakota’s education system.

Promote civic education. Our republic only works if citizens are active and informed. The next generation of South Dakotans must understand the foundations of our nation, the tremendous sacrifices made to protect our constitutional rights, and the freedoms, liberties, and responsibilities we have as citizens. In collaboration with school districts, I will work to expand civics and U.S. history programs and encourage schools to include the citizenship test as part of their graduation criteria.

Encourage kids to explore in-demand jobs early. South Dakota already faces severe labor shortages, and even greater demands for a skilled workforce are on the horizon. As governor, I would work to:

• Provide career counseling and information regarding in-demand jobs beginning at the middle-school level;

• Inspire students by expanding experience-driven learning opportunities before college;

• Coordinate resources to identify and help at-risk children plan for their futures; and

• Dramatically increase shared-learning opportunities among high schools, technical schools, universities, and employers to better manage the transition from home to post-secondary education to the South Dakota workforce.

EQUIP POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS WITH JOB-READY SKILLS.

My path to a college degree wasn’t typical. After my dad died, I left school and came home to manage our family’s farming operation full-time. Years later, I began taking classes again – this time, online – finally completing my degree while serving in Congress. Given this experience, I understand a four-year degree isn’t right for every high school graduate, and the truth is, it isn’t always right for our labor market either. Still, college graduates, on average, earn 56 percent more than high school graduates. As such, my administration will work to drive down the cost of a university or technical school degree, while focusing on producing job-holders, not simply degree-holders.

Increase affordability. South Dakota ranks near the top when it comes to student debt. That needs to change. As governor, I will:

• Simplify the scholarship application process. South Dakota has a robust scholarship network, but it can be confusing for students and families to navigate. Working with financial aid offices, my administration will help create a single, online repository for all scholarships. Additionally, I will take on the task of bringing state-allocated scholarships under a single umbrella, simplifying the process and building in cost-saving efficiencies.

• Challenge schools to prioritize affordability. Tuition costs have steadily increased in recent years. Working with the state legislature, my administration will challenge universities and technical schools to identify efficiencies and reinvest savings toward affordability.

• Increase on-time graduation. Just under 25 percent of South Dakota’s college students will graduate in four years; about 50 percent will do so in under six years. At the same time, about one in three are spending credit hours and hard-earned dollars on remedial courses. If we better prepare students in high school, we can reduce the likelihood of a fifth year in college, potentially shrinking their cost for higher education by 20 percent.

Arm students with job-ready skills and training. South Dakota has a legendary work ethic – one that my Kickstarting the Economy initiative seeks to harness. For decades, however, the priorities of employers and educators have failed to fully align. This leaves some young people with limited job prospects in their chosen career fields while many industries face difficulties recruiting skilled labor. To better fill good-paying jobs with South Dakota workers, I am committed to:

• Strengthening the relationship between area employers, state agencies, universities, and technical schools;

• Focusing state resources on high-need areas of the labor market;

• Expanding apprenticeship programs; and

• Working to ensure South Dakota technical schools and universities continue to lead the nation as one post-secondary system that is able to satisfy academic curiosities and meet tomorrow’s workforce needs.

 

A-G-E Corporation President Gary Johnson Endorses Jackley

FORT PIERRE, SD: Attorney General Marty Jackley is the best candidate to build a bright future for South Dakota businesses, according to construction company president Gary Johnson.

“We’re supporting Marty Jackley in this election because he has a positive conservative vision for economic development in South Dakota,” Johnson said. “Washington talks about solving the problems that businesses like ours face, but they’re usually the problem, and Marty has fought Washington every day as attorney general. We know he’ll do the same as governor.”

A-G-E Corporation in Fort Pierre is a fourth generation family owned construction company that specializes in highway projects. Johnson’s grandfather was one of the company founders in 1964, and the business has been growing ever since.

“Gary and I believe that for businesses to thrive, government needs to get out of the way,” Jackley said. “His company has employed generations of South Dakotans, and we’re honored to welcome the Johnson family to Team Jackley.”

Watch Johnson’s endorsement :

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In case you’re wondering what State Senator Jenna Netherton is going to be doing, she’s going to work for a great organization, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation:

Sen. Netherton Resigns; Governor Invites Public Input

PIERRE, S.D. – State Sen. Jenna Netherton has resigned her seat in the South Dakota State Senate. Netherton, a Sioux Falls Republican, has served in the Senate since 2015, and previously served in the House of Representatives from 2011-14.

“Jenna Netherton had been a hard-working and committed state legislator,” said Gov. Daugaard. “I wish her all the best in the future.”

Netherton’s resignation, which is for work and family reasons, is effective immediately and creates a vacancy that will be filled by gubernatorial appointment. Netherton has already served in both legislative sessions to be held during her 2017-18 term. This means that her replacement will not serve during a regular legislative session, but could participate in interim committees or in a special legislative session, if one is held. Netherton was not a candidate for reelection in 2018, and other candidates have filed for her seat.

The Governor is asking the public to nominate candidates to fill the vacancy. Those wishing to be considered for the appointment, or to offer nominations, should contact Rachel Graves in the Office of the Governor at 605-773-3661. Nominations should include the candidate’s name, current address, telephone number and relevant background information.

Netherton represents District 10, which includes an area of Minnehaha County encompassing the cities of Brandon, Corson and Renner. The district also includes an area in northeastern Sioux Falls encompassing Washington High School, Laura B. Anderson Elementary School, the South Dakota School for the Deaf and Willow Run Golf Course. A map of the district is available on the LRC website at http://sdlegislature.gov/inc/img/Legislative_Districts/10.pdf.

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Apparently Libertarian candidate for Governor Steve Novotny, who refers to himself as ‘air wolf,’ doesn’t like it when people write about him.

Unfortunately, I suspect we’re going to make him mad again.  Because a review of the UJS records associated with his name reveal a troubling trend with several protection orders being taken out against Novotny for stalking:

Temporary Orders of Protection against Novotny protecting against stalking were issued against Novotny in 2004, 2006, and 2015, with the latest order issued by Judge Mark Barnett. An order which expired on 4/23/2015, less than three years ago.

But while that order expired, it was taken up by a higher authority.

This latest protection order against Novotny for Stalking went so far as to involve the United States Attorney’s Office, as noted by Dakota Free Press when Cory Heidelberger pointed out when he wrote about Novotny’s announcement:

Novotny also earned one brief mention in former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler’s 2015 annual report for the District of South Dakota under “Program Litigation”:

Becky Zirpel vs. Steve Novotny (FSA intervening on behalf of Farm Service Agency)

The USAO assisted with a protection order sought by FSA employee Zirpel against Steve Novotny. It was resolved by a permanent injunction which enjoined and restrained Novotny from coming upon the premises of the FSA property in Winner and Burke, South Dakota [Randolph J. Seiler, U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota, Annual Report 2015, p. 55].

Read that here.

So while the 2015 protection order issued by Judge Barnett was resolved quickly, it was replaced with a Federal order restraining Novotny from the premises of the Farm Service Agency properties in Winner and Burke.  Seriously, how bad does it have to get to involve the United States Attorney’s office to divert time from prosecuting drug dealers and killers to tell some moron to quit harassing people?

As offensive as he can be at times, a review of UJS records reveals no criminal offenses or protection orders against his opponent for the Libertarian nomination for Governor, Carl Abernathey Jr.

Which coming into this weekend’s Libertarian Party Convention, this leaves party delegates with choosing the lesser of two evils.  Do they choose Abernathey who has railed on about women in the workplace, and plans on burning flags in the parking lot of DCI? Or do they pick the candidate with a history of protection orders, and tries to raise alarm over land being taken from farmers and given to minorities?

I don’t know that there has ever been a statewide candidate for Governor with one, much less three protection orders taken out against them for stalking.  This doesn’t leave Libertarians any attractive option for Governor.

Unless somehow this weekend a new candidate emerges, and they could come up with door number three.

Update: Steve Novotny is apparently responding via facebook and trying to get people forget about the bad things he’s done, such as causing people and the government to take out protection orders against him, by pointing out things he’s done that aren’t bad.

After some long wrenching meditation I have decided to lift the veil of secrecy. Many people have viciously attacked me in the last twelve hrs. Attempting discredit of my name. With those thoughts fresh at mind, I’ve have decided to open up about numerous things of well intent I have done in this town and other ares of the state. The statue pictured is one I anonymously paid for in donation to local church in winner. I am also paying off the altar in same church. When all tolled and done I ‘ll have invested over 23k for enjoyment of others in their place of worship. Reason I’ve done it. Simply as it was right thing to do. Reason I’m opening up now, show the world small glimpse of my true character.

He now feels the need to claim credit for anonymous acts? I’m sure it does show a small glimpse of his character. I’m sure it does.

A couple of interesting points in relation to the Tapio campaign today. As you’ll recall, Neal stated today that he’s put $115,000 of his own money in the campaign so far:

This caused me to remember that I hadn’t posted his financial disclosure to the Clerk of the US House yet, so I went to pull it, but found this curious memo:

So that means that as of March 8, 2018, Neal noted to the Clerk of the US House that he hadn’t raised or spent $5000 in his campaign. But 30 days later, he’s declaring that he’s spent loaned his campaign $115,000. That’s seems like a strong burn rate for 30 days, especially coming off of a period where less than 5k was spent.  (Senator Tapio wished it clarified that while he has loaned that much to his campaign, he may not have spent that yet.)

In about another week, Tapio’s first campaign finance report for the first quarter of the year (1/1 – 3/31) should be due which will further flesh out his campaign finances, and provide some insight as to what he’s spent why he’s loaned his campaign $115,000 on over the course of the past month.

Now, US House Committee on Ethics notes in their manual that:

Individuals are required to file an FD Statement once they “qualify” as a candidate by raising or spending more than $5,000 in a campaign for election to the House of Representatives. If you receive a notice to file a Statement before you have raised or spent more than $5,000 on the campaign, you should notify the Clerk of the House in writing or through the electronic filing system that the campaign has not yet crossed the $5,000 threshold.

and…

Funds loaned to a campaign from any source, including from the candidate, as well as funds expended for state filing fees, count toward the $5,000 threshold.”

Yet, Neal has no disclosure form into the Clerk of the US House at this time, despite his claim of $115k of loans in expenditures.

Hmmm..

Update:  Senator Tapio contacted me this morning and pointed out this passage that indicates that his report is not due until May 5th since he did not enter the race until 2018:

First, a qualifying candidate must file no later than 30 days before any election (including primaries) in which the individual is participating. Thus, if you become a candidate on January 5 in an election year and the primary is on April 22, the report is due by March 23 (no later than 30 days before the election).

Same page 3 as cited above.  So, we have to wait another 3 1/2 weeks for the financial disclosure form, but we should see first quarter campaign finance filings by next week.

Another Update: Senator Tapio wished for me to explicitly clarify that the $115,000 is a loan put into his campaign, and does not reflect his expenditures:

I loaned my campaign over $5,000. The ethics rules indicate that exceeding the $5,000 threshold makes me a candidate, which then requires me to file a financial disclosure. Your correction correctly denotes that I have not violated the financial disclosure rules, as they clearly indicate May 5 as the actual deadline.

However, your continued use of “expenses” terminology is legally troublesome. Loans to campaigns are not an expense. By stating I have $115,000 in expenses or that I have a high burn rate is slander. The $5,000 threshold doesn’t have anything to do with expenses. Therefore, nothing factual leads you to that headline.

If you keep that headline and stand by the claim of loans are expenses, you are proving your ignorance in front of people with whom you work. Failure to correct that important factual issue, can have deleterious affects on your credibility, and can undermine the credibility of those with whom you associate.

A loan to an organization is never classified as an expense. Revenues, such as donations which will not be paid back, and expenses, legitimate expenditures of a campaign, appear on a profit and loss statement. Loans are simply classified as a liability on a balance sheet, and in no way indicate the money was either used or not used for expenditures.

And there you go.

The campaign finance report can come out anytime now. Anytime…..

Libertarians have a “great” couple of candidates to pick from at the upcoming Libertarian convention this next month.

First, we had CJ Abernathey who says “it’s an extreme risk for an owner to hire a woman working around men in today’s society, and I think that women are to blame for that.”

And now we have his opponent possibly being a worse human being than he is.

Steve Novotny, Libertarian Candidate for Governor was on Facebook just a few weeks ago posting an article and using it as warning that it’s “just a matter of time” before someone legalizes blacks stealing farmers land “here in America.”

And in case we didn’t get the point the first time..

And a bonus obsession over white farmers land being seized by people of a different skin color:

This would be the same Libertarian Candidate for Governor who “claims tribes in South Dakota receive “cradle to grave” welfare.”

Libertarians, you certainly have a great line up for your Gubernatorial candidates in 2018. I’m sure it will only set you all back 20 or 30 years in your recruitment efforts in South Dakota.

Unless you’re going for that pointy hat/dressed in sheets crowd.

I’ve been tracking a story over the last couple of days where I had heard that the non-partisan “Ready to Run” group in Sioux Falls is having a big thing to do in Sioux Falls on April 13th and 14th with panels of speakers and everything.  Except that maybe it’s not exactly so non-partisan.

And maybe it doesn’t exactly sound like they had confirmed with at least one of their speakers.  From the e-mail box of the director of the program to the participants:

On Apr 5, 2018, at 4:17 PM, Blaalid, Brooke wrote:

Good Afternoon Lovely Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are incredibly excited to have you as presenters/panelists for our inaugural Ready to Run South Dakota campaign and leadership training on April 13-14^th.  Before the big day arrives, I need a few bits and pieces of information from you.  I have them listed before for your convenience.  I have also attached the program agenda and paper registration form.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or text my cell at 605-660-9721 or email. I am beyond honored and grateful to have all of your support!

1. Please check your name and credentials on the agenda to make sure we have it spelled correctly.  We also made a few adjustments to the agenda.  If for some reason, you are unable to make your session, please let me know ASAP.
2. Please send me a bio of yourself that is no more than 2 paragraphs, single spaced. Things to include would be education, elected office, positions you have held in terms of leadership/stakeholders, etc. If you are struggling with this, please let me know and we can work together! Send this to me no later than April 12.
3. As a presenter, you are invited to our networking reception on Friday, April 13 from 5:30-7.  Feel free to bring your significant other or a friend who would enjoy the networking and social gathering.  Please RSVP by next Monday, April 9^th if you are available to attend the social and the number of quests attending.
4. If  you would like to participate in the training session and attend the training beyond your session, you are welcomed and encouraged. Please fill out the attached registration form that is a fillable PDF.  As a presenter, you cost of the training is FREE.
5. Lastly, If you know of any women (or men) who are interested in running for office or becoming more involved in community leadership, we encourage you to share this information with them. You can also find additional information at our website www.readytorunsd.org  You can also share on Facebook, twitter, Instagram as well!

Thank you again for all of your time, energy, and support!

Brooke
Brooke Blaalid, MSW, PhD Candidate

Director, Ready to Run: SD
Master of Social Work Program
University of South Dakota
Health Sciences Center; Rm 367
1400 W 22nd Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Okay.. that sounds nice, doesn’t it? Except that one of the listed presenters, Karon Gubbrud, hadn’t exactly been asked if she would be a speaker (I’ve cut this response down a bit, btw..-PP):

From: Karon Gubbrud
Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2018 6:00 PM
To: Blaalid, Brooke
Subject: Re: Presenter Info Needed

Dear Brooke,

I have put much thought, and some prayers, in to my reaction, and my response, to this.

Several months ago, you had Sara Lindquist invite me to join the two of you, at your home, for a glass of wine and conversation.  You wanted to meet me.  You also knew I was involved in politics; and you wanted to tell me about this new group you were bringing in to Sioux Falls.  You were very excited about this new group.  That was very clear.

and…

Then last Thursday, I get this e-mail from you, announcing what you hope will be a big event, and seeing my name on the agenda/program, as part of a panel over lunch.   That day, at your home, you and I had spoken, quite briefly, actually, about the possibility of me serving on some sort of a panel at an event or meeting you were planning…..an event that was well down the calendar road at that time. You did not have many details at all at that time.  You asked me if I would suggest other women to serve on this panel you were assembling.  I told you I would not offer anyone else to you without speaking to them first. Then I never heard anything more from you.

You did tell me you were “thinking about” having Stephanie Herseth Sandlin as your featured speaker.  I strongly discouraged you from that, since you had told me, repeatedly, during our conversation that this group of yours was “strictly non-partisan”.   Stephanie is known state-wide as a big time, very liberal, Democrat.  I highly encouraged you to invite someone whose political leanings are a less well known, as your featured speaker, if you wanted to demonstrate your non-partisan nature as an organization. You did seem quite determined to have Stephanie be your featured speaker, though.

Last Thursday, at 4:30 PM, when I returned  home from a day of teaching, I found this e-mail of yours.  Quite honestly, I was shocked by it!  Suddenly, I was listed on a panel for this event, which I gather, you hope will be quite large. I had not heard a word from you in months, and suddenly, with just one week’s notice, I am listed as a guest panelist!  Really?!?

At a class that night, a woman came up to me and asked me “how long I had been involved with Ready to Run”!!  “Involved with”!!  She and several legislators and their wives had received information about this event, with me listed as being on this panel a full week before that!! But, I did not get this e-mail,about it until last Thursday!?!  That is appalling, and quite honestly, insulting!!

Brooke, I cannot possibly participate in this!  On top of this late notice, there is nothing “non-partisan” about it!!  Your featured speaker is a well know, very liberal Democrat.  You have, not just one, but two speakers from LEAD SD, which is well recognized as a very liberal, Left leaning, basically Democratic, organization. You have Paula Hawks, another raging liberal Democrat!  You have three or four others listed as presenters, who are well known in all political circles, as being very liberal Democrats. You have a couple who claim to be Republicans, so they can actually get elected; but their voting records, and many things they say and do, tell a whole different story!

and…

I wish you well. I hope that your event is well attended, and turns out to be all that you hoped it would be.  I am sure you have put  much time and effort in to planning it.  But I cannot participate.

Karon Gubbrud

Oh.. that’s not good.

Usually most of the time panelists actually know they are panelists within more than a week of the event being held.  The organizer of the Ready to Lead event did offer her apologies. Kind of:

From: “Blaalid, Brooke”
Date: April 9, 2018 at 9:35:40 AM CDT
To: Karon Gubbrud
Subject: RE: Presenter Info Needed

Good Morning Karon,

I am very sorry that I have made you feel this way. I am deeply sadden by this news.  I was under the impression with our conversations that you were willing to discuss your involvement with working on political campaigns as you have been instrumental in helping republican candidates.   I am not exactly sure what Sara is referring to as I had to told her that I sent you a follow-up email and we spoke at the cracker barrel.  I too have been dealing with some health issues and haven’t had as much time to connect with individuals as I wanted to, especially you.

Ready to Run South Dakota is nonpartisan and will continue to be. While President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is our keynote and we do have panelists from LEAD, we also have many great republican women on our panels such as Anne Hajek, Casey Murschel, Carol Twedt, and Georgia Hansen.  Unfortunately, both Carol and Georgia won’t be able to attend due to having unplanned family events this weekend.  Additionally, we have had many great republican men and women give us their support in terms of financial donations and connecting us with potential speakers as they already had planned vacations during this time.

One of the things that we decided when putting our panelist together was that we would not have any individual who was actively running a campaign to sit our panels.  This has been a struggle for us as several amazing women from both sides of the isle are running this year.  I would have loved to have Shantel Krebs as one of our speakers along with Deb Peterson, Deb Sohl, Kristine Erickson, etc.

Again, I am very sorry for the confusion and that you wont be able to join us this weekend.  I am more than willing to continue to have meetings and conversations with you and find ways that your voice and the voice of other republican women can be heard.

All my best,

Brooke Blaalid, MSW, PhD Candidate
Director, Ready to Run: SD

It’s good that Brooke recognizes that the GOP has many amazing women on our side of the aisle. Or at least she sort of recognizes it when she mentions “Deb Peterson, Deb Sohl, Kristine Erickson, etc.”  We might have even believed her if she’d actually gotten any of their names right. (Deb Peters, Deb Soholt, & Christine Erickson).

The Ready to Run SD conference is April 13 and 14, 2018, at the Downtown Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls.   Maybe Republicans are invited. But they probably won’t get your name right.

Or you might find yourself on a panel.

Here’s a bit of cognitive dissonance between Steve Novotny, the new Libertarian Candidate for Governor, and the expressed views of his party.

From 2016.. The Libertarian Party’s platform position on farm subsidies:

2.7 Marketplace Freedom

Libertarians support free markets. We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of entities based on voluntary association. We oppose all forms of government subs dies and bailouts to business, labor, or any other special interest. Government should not compete with private enterprise.

Read that here.

And Steve Novotny’s position on farm subsidies?:

 

Jackley Announces Workforce Development Initiative

PIERRE, SD: In a new policy initiative that builds upon his vision for the future of South Dakota’s economy, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced his plan to expand workforce development.

“We’ve taken our Hometown South Dakota tour to every corner of the state, and this Workforce Development Initiative is the result of those conversations,” Jackley said. “The input from mayors, county commissioners, business leaders, educators and hardworking families helped us refine a message that harnesses South Dakota’s strengths and addresses our challenges head-on.”

Jackley’s plan for workforce development calls for the following:

• Transform unemployment insurance to increase accountability.
• Prepare young people for 21st century work by keeping higher education affordable.
• Adapt to the changing needs of employers by aligning education offerings with state workforce needs.
• Emphasize dual credit, stackable credits and workforce-ready skills.
• Support and grow existing workforce programs like SD WINS, Dakota Roots and Career Launch.
• Connect South Dakota youth to employers through Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), apprenticeships and public-private partnerships.
• Tie scholarships and other incentives to in-state placement.
• Build hometown jobs with REDI Fund investment.

Read the full Jackley Workforce Development Initiative here