SOUTH DAKOTANS FOR
STRONG SCHOOLS
Mission: To enhance education in South
Dakota by distributing information to
the public and advocating for policies
that promote strong public schools and
statewide student success.
Background: I heard from dozens of
parents interested in forming a group to
promote our traditional South Dakota
vision for strong public education and to
protect our schools and students from
out-of-state policy experiments that
would harm education across the state.
South Dakota has always promoted
education at all levels. We would like to
preserve our South Dakota standard by
keeping education above politics and as
a top priority, year-in and year-out.
Activities:
- Distributing information to
group members about historical
development of the South
Dakota education system.
- Relaying news on current events
and proposed changes across
the state.
- Working with policymakers on
efforts to improve schools and
help students.
- Providing policy perspectives to
the media on education topics
as they arise.
CONVERSATIONS NOT ACCUSATIONS
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER, CYNTHIA MICKELSON:
Raised and educated in South Dakota (Miller K-12 and
USD for undergraduate and law school), I am the
mother three children who graduated from public
school in Sioux Falls. I currently serve on the
Sioux Falls School Board, although this effort is
separate from that role. Through my work on
statewide education and my family's work in both
the legislative and executive branches of
government, there has been one common thread
allowing South Dakotans to work together and solve difficult
problems: the strong backbone of public education.
I have spent time researching and meeting with others to gain
perspective and would like to broaden this understanding to a
statewide effort that will share thoughts, ideas, and discussion on
supporting all aspects of K-12 education.
The future of our communities and our state relies on a
strong public education system that is open to all children. It
is vital to our workforce, our government, and our quality of
life. Let's get squarely behind public education to preserve
what our forefathers established.
TIDBITS
149 Districts | 701 Schools | 137,468 K-12 Students
Which community has the mascot name of Scoopers and why?
Answer at end of article. (Source:
https://sdschools.sd.gov/Nimble/asp/Main.aspx)
SOLUTIONS NOT ILLUSIONS
SD PUBLIC EDUCATION AND FUNDING
How did we end up here? Why is public education the enemy in other states and made the schools and
parents adversaries instead of a team? In South Dakota, we want parents and families engaged and
involved. Also, it is important to educate the members of the public who are not involved with the
public school, so they feel ownership and support. We wish to provide a positive, informative discussion
that may help spur constructive change in public education. This first newsletter will provide a brief
history of South Dakota public education, an overview of public school funding, and how it has changed
in recent years. The following issues will focus on challenges and solutions in public education. Please
feel free to send article ideas and or you may submit articles as well.

THANK YOU!

BRIEF HISTORY OF SD PUBLIC EDUCATION

Worldwide public education did not grab a foothold until the Scots passed the Act for Setting Schools in
1696. 1. Through this Act, there was to be established a public school in every parish in Scotland which
allowed Scotland to become “Europe’s first modern literate nation.” 2 This access to education would
help Scotland to claw its way out of being viewed as a poor nation and to lead the charge in discovery
and creativity in years to come. 3

Fast forward almost 200 years to the initial meeting of the Dakota Territorial Legislature where
Governor William Jayne stated “[t]he virtue, intelligence and public happiness of a people, and all the
conduces to the advancement of the prosperity, wealth and power of a country is intimately associated
with, and dependent upon, the development of the educational interest of the state.” 4

Public schools “increased opportunity; they taught morality and citizenship; they
encouraged a talented leadership; they maintained social mobility; they promoted
popular responsiveness to social evolution.” 5

Most importantly, it focused on local control with three-member school boards. 6 The biggest issue we
faced back then is the same we face today: funding necessary to successfully educate our youth in a

1
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our
World & Everything in It by Arthur Herman p.22.
2
Ibid p 23.
3
Ibid p 25.
4
Quoted in George W. Kingsbury, History of Dakota Territory, and George Martin Smith, South Dakota: Its History
and People, 5 vols. (Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1915). 1:200
5
Ibid p 49 citing Lawrence A Cremin, The Transformation of the School: Progressivism in American Education 1876-
1957
6
Ibid.
rural state with more cattle than people. 7 South Dakota has depended upon real-property based tax
system since its inception. 8 In the beginning, there was a large number of common school districts (300)
that varied in size and shape and location determined the placement of these schools focusing on K-8
due to lack of transportation options. 9 Our population started to grow and some larger communities
started to develop which increased the desire for upper grade classes, beginning with Yankton in 1875. 10
An interesting fact is that at the time where there were 300 school districts in South Dakota, there were
only approximately 3,000 nationwide. 11

Too Many Schools/Districts

As many as 80 rural schools existed in some counties in counties through the 1950’s. 12 As population
decreased in rural areas and consolidated into larger communities, the number of school districts
decreased. No standardized testing was predominant, and most teachers did not have a 4-year
degree. 13 In the 1980’s, a federal push for accountability in schools began to trickle down to the states.

Over the same period, South Dakota dramatically shifted the source of school funding from 85% local in
1956 to 52.6% local in 2019. 14 State aid advocates wanted increase to raise state proportion to “reduce
inequities among districts that varied greatly in taxable real estate and provide a less regressive source
of revenues.” 15

Snippet of the transference of local funding to reliance on state and federal funding 16:

Year % Federal % State % Local

1953-54 3.4 11.6 85
1962-63 9 11.8 79.2
1972-73 12.7 15.1 72.3
1983-84 11.6 27.6 60.8
1992-93 10.8 26.2 63
1998-99 9.8 36.9 53.3

7
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=SOUTH%20DAKOTA
8
John E. Miller Education in South Dakota since World War II: A Statistical Portrait, pg 46.
9
Ibid p 47.
10
Ibid p 48 citing Stewart, “Historical Development of the Independent School District,” South Dakota Historical
Collections 18 (1936): 105-6.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid p 49
13
Ibid p 51
14
Ibid p 56
15
Ibid
16
Ibid p 56, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2010/econ/school-finances/secondary-education-finance.html
and https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/econ/school-finances/secondary-education-finance.html
2009-10 19.4 30.1 49.7
2019-20 13.9 33.6 52.6
Federal education funding increased began with National Defense Education Act of 1958, continuing
through today. Consolidation of schools now leaves South Dakota with 149 districts. 17 Efficiency and
transportation improvements have helped in this transition. We are one of the slowest states in
movement toward consolidation.

The fear or loss of local control mirrors the increase of state and federal funding into our local districts.
There are many requirements and expectations that are attached to the federal and state dollars which
can run counter to what the local parents or taxpayers view as important. This does not erode the
important engagement of our families and taxpayers in talking to teachers, principals, and school board
members.

Evolution of Schools into Additional Services

Public schools’ challenges are the communities’ challenges. Unfortunately, schools cannot solve them all
nor should they. Generational poverty cannot be solved by any school (public, private or parochial).
Education is an option or window into opportunity. All the factors that impact a student’s ability to learn
are beyond the ability of any one school or any one teacher, to fix. Poverty and family stability have
immense impacts on learning. Increasingly over the past several decades, public schools have become
more than just schools; they are also food pantries, providers of mental and physical health services,
and places of safety.

Public schools, administrators and school boards must evolve to continue to succeed into the future. We
need to evaluate the approaches that are working well elsewhere including community school models
that place community services such as health clinics and parent education centers inside public schools -
- which have been proven to improve outcomes, family stability and expand vocational opportunities.

Even with these challenges and changes, there is hope. The last three
articles cited at the SD DOE website are the following:

1. Nation’s Report Card released: South Dakota Performing Well Compared to Nation

2. South Dakota Public Schools Weather Pandemic Well

3. South Dakota Outperforms Nation on ACT

17
Ibid and https://sdschools.sd.gov/Nimble/asp/Main.aspx
Answer: Sturgis Scoopers (not due to mining but was the local term for those who
scooped money out of the soldiers pockets like card sharks and dance hall girls).
Source https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/unusual-sports-team-names