Gov. Dennis M. Daugaard (R)
Date of Speech: Jan. 14
Gov. Daugaard highlighted the importance of career and technical education in his annual speech to state lawmakers, promising $5 million in grants to help the state’s CTE high schools strengthen their offerings, vowing to use state funds to help bring down the cost of dual-credit courses for students, and to provide $1.5 million over the next three years for technical institutes to offer scholarships in high-needs career fields.
“CTE is at the intersection of education and economic development,” Mr. Daugaard said in his fourth State of the State address.
The governor’s focus on education was closely tied to his praise for the state’s economy, which currently features one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3.6 percent. Efforts such as providing students and parents with an online portal to research college and career options, new remediation programs in high schools and postsecondary institutions, and “career camps” in high-needs fields like engineering have helped, he said.
Gov. Daugaard also made mention of the Common Core State Standards, saying he supports the goals of the initiative, but shares the concerns of some about federal interference in education and the privacy of individual student data.
“I hope we will all work together this year to protect our students without undermining the important goals of rigorous and competitive content standards,” he said.
