Will represent all families in education – public, private and homeschool

Student success, particularly proficiency in reading, mathematics and science, are of utmost importance, not only to our City, but also to the State and to the Nation. Unfortunately, student proficiency in the Sioux Falls School District in 2022-2023 was just 43 percent in mathematics, 48 percent in English Language Arts, and 45 percent in science (see ​​Report Card, SD Department of Education). While our numbers are not as bad as some in the state, they are nonetheless an astounding indictment of the management of public education. We can and should do better by our students.

The increase in recent alternative schooling numbers in the state indicates parents’ interest in taking another path and a demand for education freedom. Homeschool is the canary in the coal mine; if people are pulling their kids from public school in order to homeschool them, that indicates there is a problem. The solution is not to silence the bird, but instead to immediately focus on identifying the problem. I support parents being able to choose the best route to educate their children. As a member of the Sioux Falls School Board, I will represent all families - whether they choose public, private, or home school.

Competition is essential to improving the school system. It forces school administration to evaluate current operations in order to keep students - and tax dollars. The School District will need to implement policies that allow teachers to teach and students to achieve proficiency levels equal to or greater than that of private or home school students. Competition can make our school system the best in the Nation.

I support a system of vouchers or education savings accounts where the money for each student follows the student if the family chooses to take it. My children were educated through homeschooling, public schooling, and charter schooling, and I fully understand that a one-size-fits-all education system does not work for every family. More than 5,500 students in Sioux Falls participate in alternative education delivery, therefore, I feel at least one school board member should be a champion of alternative education causes.