However, I came across this chart which depicts South Dakota’s falling K-12 enrollment, as noted by the article below from the Webster Reporter and Farmer. This should be of concern to us because the K-12 system drives higher education in our state. More facts from the Board of Regents website reveal that in-state students make up the vast majority of students going into higher education… while out-of-state students comprise about one-fourth (26.45% in 2007).
Looking at the chart we can see South Dakota lost approximately 10,000 K-12 students from 1997-2007, a short ten years, with only a slight increase from 2001-2002. This is a trend which we cannot let continue.
I interpret this graph as loss of schools and communities across South Dakota which punches holes in the economic, social, and educational fabric of our state.
While we celebrate the success of higher education in South Dakota, let’s continue to work for the schools and communities that are struggling to survive, because of they fail, the future will look bleak for higher education as well.
1 comment:
South Dakota tax payers are picking up the tab (in part) for the growth of our University system. The level of state support for our Universities allows them in turn to offer the lowest out of state tuition rates in the entire region. This is true for out of state graduate and undergraduate tuition according to the
BOR's own figures on their web site.
I have no problem with the growth of our university system, but not at the expense of our own SD children in K-12 public schools.
Our university parking lots are full of late model cars with out of state license plates. Let them instead drive $3,000 "school cars" like most of our in-state students do. This will allow them to pay an additional $10,000 (at least) toward the cost of their University education.
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