Experienced teacher, dedicated to keeping Sioux Falls schools great

Theresa and Stuart Willet

Teaching runs in my blood.

I have a wide array of education experiences that qualify me for a seat on the Sioux Falls School Board. Growing up, I attended public school in New York and a private boarding school in England. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in Geology from Rice University in Texas, and later I earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education. My experience includes teaching English as a Second Language for eight years in Taiwan, a stint as a stockbroker and 15 years of teaching science in New York City schools. I educated my three children through a combination of homeschooling, charter schooling and public schooling. I believe there are benefits to various educational delivery methods.

Leading up to the pandemic, my wife, Theresa, and I were enjoying successful work in New York - she as a mental health professional at Riker’s Island jail in NYC and I as a teacher in the NYC public schools. With the pandemic came heavy-handed restrictions from the City of New York. I was a member of the teacher’s union, and I looked to that group to impart a modicum of common sense in COVID education policy.

That common sense sadly didn’t materialize. In fact, the New York teacher’s union embraced the City’s policies which kept children out of school for extended periods of time. I watched in horror as the New York City schools became the bellwether, impacting education policy across the Nation. South Dakota, however, maintained that modicum of common sense, allowing students to go back to school in the fall of 2020. My wife and I decided to move here in pursuit of liberty in January of 2022.

Since we arrived in Sioux Falls, we have fallen in love with our community. Theresa has taken up a full-time position with the Sioux Falls School District as an Education Assistant at Axtel Park, and I have worked as a substitute teacher for the District. What we have found in our new adventure are wonderful students, talented teachers and a dedicated community that values its children and cares deeply for their future.

This is the reason for my candidacy in the Sioux Falls School Board election. Having observed the dynamics in larger school districts, I draw a parallel to riding a horse. The transition from a controlled state to an uncontrolled one can happen swiftly, akin to the snap of your fingers. To prevent reaching a point where both the horse and the riders in the vicinity are unmanageable—reflective of the challenges faced by many school systems nationwide—it is crucial to assert control beforehand. Taking proactive measures and tightening the reins is the optimal approach before circumstances escalate beyond control.

The goal here is not simply Sioux Falls - we can’t live in a bubble. The goal is to be the best district in the Nation and to set an example for the rest of the country. Education needs strong leaders to help stave off the collapse we are about to find ourselves in, and the great teachers and students of Sioux Falls will need to be those leaders. I want to help by identifying the highly effective teachers in Sioux Falls who can lead the way for the rest of the teachers.