Education

Educators struggle to reduce need for remedial classes in SD colleges

Every year, about 30 percent of South Dakota high school graduates who enroll in a state university must take remedial courses in math or English because they don’t test high enough in those topics. Those courses cost the students about $1,000 per class and provide them with no

Wave of nursing home closures hitting small South Dakota communities

Wave of nursing home closures hitting small South Dakota communities

The health and stability of some of South Dakota’s most vulnerable residents are being threatened by a wave of closures of long-term care facilities across the state. Three nursing homes closed over the past three years and two more are slated for closure by February. Another 17 former Golden

SD school districts increasingly rely on tax opt-outs to aid strained budgets

While South Dakota teachers have earned raises over the past two years courtesy of a new half-cent sales tax, school districts across the state continue to struggle with their budgets. Nominal increases in state aid to education have crippled local budgets and caused many districts to consider significant programming cuts

Education officials: State must act to keep momentum in teacher salaries

South Dakota no longer has the lowest-paid teachers in the nation, but education officials caution that lawmakers must maintain an aggressive approach to funding if that status is to continue. According to 2018 rankings and estimates by the National Education Association, South Dakota had the highest percentage increase in average

USD Law School facing challenges but seeing opportunities

VERMILLION, S.D. – One of South Dakota’s most venerable institutions, the law school at the University of South Dakota, is facing academic and financial challenges unprecedented in the school’s 117-year history. Applications are historically down. The balance sheet is barely in the black. More marginally qualified students have