The South Dakota House of Representatives narrowly rejected HCR 1008. This is unbelievable. All this bill did was to urge the South Dakota Board of Education to refrain from expanding the Common Core State Standards or any other multi-state standards (like the Next Generation Science Standards) into the state. It did not direct the board to do so.
And some state representatives couldn’t agree to even doing that? I think South Dakotans deserve answers from those who voted no (which includes the Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader): State Representatives Julie Bartling (D-Gregory), Lance Carson (R-Mitchell), Kristin Conzet (R-Rapid City), Dan Dryden (R-Rapid City), Mary Duvall (R-Pierre), Marc Feinstein (D-Sioux Falls), Peggy Gibson (D-Huron) Brian Gosch (R-Rapid City), Anne Hajek (R-Sioux Falls), Paula Hawks (D-Hartford), Spencer Hawley (D-Brookings), Troy Heinert (D-Mission), Bernie Hunhoff (D-Yankton), Timothy Johns (R-Lead), Kevin Killer (D-Pine Ridge), Patrick Kirschman, David Lust (R-Rapid City), David Novstrup (R-Aberdeen), Herman Otten (R-Tea), Scott Parsley (D-Madison), Jim Peterson (D-Revillo), Ray Ring (D-Vermillion), Fred Romkema (R-Spearfish), Tim Rounds (R-Pierre), Tona Rozum (R-Mitchell), Kyle Schoenfish (R-Scotland), Dean Schrempp (D-Lantry), Jacqueline Sly (R-Rapid City), Karen Soli (D-Sioux Falls), Mike Stevens (R-Yankton), Burt Tulson (R-Lake Norden), Kathy Tyler (D-Big Stone City), Dick Werner (R-Huron) and Susan Wismer (D-Britton).
The Rapid City Journal reports that the South Dakota Senate last week failed to pass a resolution that would implement a two year study of the Common Core State Standards. It failed to pick up the required 2/3 majority. On a positive note they did pass bills that would prevent expanding the Common Core standards to other subjects until July 2016. This should bar the South Dakota Board of Education from adopting the Next Generation Science Standards if they were inclined to take that up for the time being. Also the South Dakota Senate passed a bill that seeks to protect the privacy of student records.
Photo credit: Jeffrey Allen (CC-By-SA 3.0)