The Republicans running for District 5 House, incumbent Matt Roby and return-hopeful Byron Callies, both signaled in last night’s forum in Watertown that they want to focus on improving public schools, not diverting more public dollars to private-school vouchers:
“We are currently not funding public schools the way we should be,” Roby said. “And so before we start having the conversation about these other alternatives, we need to ensure that our funding is on a path to continue to grow at the minimum at the statutory rate.”
Callies agreed, noting that the state constitution mandates public education funding.
“Public education is in the constitution,” Callies said. “We are required to provide funding for that” [Steve Jurrens, “Watertown Candidate Forum Highlights Data Center Debate, School Funding, and Codington County Auditor Race,” Northeast Radio SD, 2026.10.06].
The constitutional provision to which Callies refers is Article 8, Section 1:
The stability of a republican form of government depending on the morality and intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature to establish and maintain a general and uniform system of public schools wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all; and to adopt all suitable means to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education [SD Const. Art 8 Sec 1].
That clause makes clear that our collective duty is to support schools that are open and free to every student, not religious establishments (every private school in South Dakota promotes Christianity) that can accept or reject students at will. Let’s hope Callies and Roby read that clause repeatedly to their fellow Republicans in Pierre every day of the 2027 Session.