Education

Total 86 Posts

Damaging debt: College grads stung by broken promises of federal loan forgiveness program

Hundreds of South Dakota residents are caught in financial limbo wondering if the tens of thousands of dollars they owe on student debt — and which they were promised would be forgiven if they entered public-service careers — will actually ever be eliminated. Those South Dakota residents include teachers, police officers, employees

Damaging debt: SD college graduates weighed down by heavy student debt

South Dakotans owe more than $1.5 billion to the federal government on loans they took out to finance their educations and many borrowers are finding themselves crushed under the weight of their college debt, even many years after they graduated. About 52,000 South Dakotans have some debt from

Damaging debt: Three SD grads share stories of struggling to pay college costs

Thousands of South Dakota residents are living under a cloud of uncertainty and worry created by outstanding loans acquired in order to get a higher education. The high monthly payments and seemingly insurmountable principal amounts carry an emotional toll, but also limit their ability to live out their dreams and

Nearly a quarter of SD school districts adopt four-day calendar

Nearly a quarter of the school districts in South Dakota have opted for a four-day school week over the past decade, joining an increasing trend toward the altered schedule nationwide. According to the South Dakota Department of Education, 34 school districts, or nearly 23 percent of the 149 statewide are

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

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
You've successfully subscribed to South Dakota News Watch
Great! Next, complete checkout for full access to South Dakota News Watch
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
Unable to sign you in. Please try again.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Error! Stripe checkout failed.
Success! Your billing info is updated.
Error! Billing info update failed.