Governor Larry Rhoden is following Kristi Noem’s example of taking credit for curriculum standards. His press release Tuesday noting the Board of Education’s approval of ideologically-tinged K-12 math standards, over the objection of many practicing math teachers, bears the headline “Gov. Rhoden Replaces Common Core with Common Sense Math.”
Contrary to the imperial practice of Rhoden’s predecessor, the Governor is not supposed to have any direct role in drafting or approving curriculum standards. The Governor’s toadies in the Department of Education certainly influence them, and political appointees on the Board of Education Standards approve them, but ideally, content standards are drafted, reviewed, and finalized by panels of interested practicing teachers. The sidelining of teachers in revising curriculum standards alarms Sandra Waltman of the South Dakota Education Association:
“A major concern we have is the narrowing of educator involvement in the standards development process,” Waltman said. “When we look to fewer classroom teachers to be involved you miss important grade-level and content connections. When you’re not involving more teachers, you might miss things and then you start to see those alignment issues some are raising concerns about” [C.J. Keene, “New State Math Standards Leave Teachers Holding Breath for Changes,” SDPB, 2026.05.05].
But expertise and good teaching are less important in Pierre than giving Larry Rhoden a campaign slogan to ride to his primary defeat.