Press "Enter" to skip to content

Legislators Pick Homeschooling Father-Daughter Conservatives for Education Cmte

Rep. Kathy Tyler (D-4/Big Stone City) provides another example of the South Dakota Legislature's philosophy that, when it comes to education, you don't want a bunch of experts telling you what to do:

We also had to choose two new members for the education interim study. Paula Hawks, Hartford, has taken on a new job, and Dick Werner, Huron, did not feel he had the time to devote to the committee. A couple of us tried to get Ray Ring, a former university economics professor assigned to the committee, but failed. Some on the committee didn’t want another educator—there are four of us. It was felt that we needed more varied backgrounds. Representatives Don Haggar and Jenna Haggar from Sioux Falls will fill the two positions. Don is on the appropriations committee, and Jenna is vice-chair of the House Education Committee [Rep. Kathy Tyler, "A Week of Learning," Kathy's Corner, 2013.06.15].

Oh yeah, because when you want variety on a committee, you elect father and daughter Republicans.

Paula Hawks is a former public school teacher. Don Haggar homeschooled Jenna and his four other kids. The Haggar legislative twins eagerly backed House Bill 1173 to drain public education of the funding necessary to provide free and fair public education for all citizens.

Replacing an experienced educator with a father-daughter team committed to peddling the mythos of a failing public education system lays bare the Republican majority's approach to education: the last thing we want is a bunch of teachers studying education.

18 Comments

  1. rollin potter 2013.06.16

    pure nepotism!!!! http://www.businessdictionary.com
    practice of appointing relatives and friends in one's organization to positions for which outsiders might be better qualified!!!!!! Hello south dakota voters!!!!

  2. MC 2013.06.16

    Why not someone who was home-schooled? Are they somehow less knowledgeable?

    I have a problem with educators looking at their own programs. That is like you looking in the mirror and saying how great you are.

    We need a good mix of educators from public and private schools and home-shcoolers, As well as leaders in various industries.

  3. Douglas Wiken 2013.06.16

    South Dakota of all places.

    What evil influence do the home schoolers find in the public school system? How many of us are qualified to teach everything our children need in every subject for 8 or 12 years?

    What can home schoolers relate that has anything of value for public education? Guess we will have to wait to see what wisdom and knowledge they bring to education.

  4. Kal Lis 2013.06.16

    MC,

    Based on some of your comments on other threads over the past few years, I have no reason to believe that the next sentences apply to you. There are merely a response to the question you posed.

    Many parents home school because they despise public education. If South Dakota had a history of putting environmentalists on committees that deal with mineral development, these appointments might raise any red flags. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I doubt that an committed environmentalist has been on a natural resources committee in the past few sessions. The same can be said for Chamber of Commerce types on business committees. I doubt South Dakota has a Bernie Sanders type socialist in the legislature, but if we did, I'm fairly certain that person would not be on any committee dealing with regulating businesses.

    We see pictures of the Governor surrounded by farmers, ranchers, lawyers, and business people when he signs legislation that affects them. There are few and perhaps no pictures of the Governor surrounded by teachers, principals, or superintendents when he signs education bills.

    I certainly would be willing to smile, nod, and move on if I thought that this was an isolated incident of education being slighted. It seems to be another example of education being shown the digitus impudicus

  5. kurtz 2013.06.16

    yo, leo.

  6. kurtz 2013.06.16

    wiring schools is likely the only good bill janklow did: why tpers like the haggars have voices in this process spells doom for future improvements other than wrecking balls for the world as we know it.

  7. mike 2013.06.16

    I don't mind that they picked the Haggar's or that they home school but one Haggar is enough on one committee or board. Don't see the need for two.

  8. MJL 2013.06.17

    MC wrote: Why not someone who was home-schooled? Are they somehow less knowledgeable?

    I have a problem with educators looking at their own programs. That is like you looking in the mirror and saying how great you are.

    We need a good mix of educators from public and private schools and home-shcoolers, As well as leaders in various industries.

    The problem has been placing people that hold disgust for the group that they were supposed to create laws that impact the vast majority of the citizens. We also see a lack of willingness to actually bring in experts in the field to get both sides of the issue before making an unbiased decision. I am sure that Charles Hoffman, a cattle rancher; James Schaeffer, a rancher, and Gary Cammack should step off of the Ag and Natural Resources committee.

    You put the experts in the field on the committees to help prune through the good and bad legislation to present to the full floor for consideration. That is the point that other members should challenge the information after a balanced committee report and not waste time seeing if there is the teaching of Communism in our universities.

  9. Jana 2013.06.17

    Where would one find more information on these interim committees. How many are there and what do they publish their agendas, notes and who their members are?

    How influential are these committees in advancing laws that affect the people of South Dakota?

  10. MC 2013.06.17

    I have no problem with appointing experts to sit on these committees, so long as they do not have any direct interest in the bills they proposing.

    If a committee with only public school administrative types, may propose bills that directly affect home-schooled and/or private schools. At the same time the board needs to be balanced. East and West, public and private.

  11. Jana 2013.06.17

    Thanks Kathy and Cory for the links?

    Good info for who is on the committee. Looking at the 2012 committees, the documentation on minutes and actions seems to be a little sketchy.

  12. grudznick 2013.06.17

    Mr. H, I know you are itchy about the sloberknockering your party has been getting in the press lately, but had you applied for the Investment Council you would have had a better chance of being appointed. I'm just sayin...

  13. Jana 2013.06.17

    MC might have a point "I have no problem with appointing experts to sit on these committees, so long as they do not have any direct interest in the bills they proposing."

    MC will also, I'm sure, scream to the high heavens about the make up of the Ag. Land Assessment Task Force. Nothing to see here folks...move along.

    http://legis.state.sd.us/interim/2013/CommitteeMembers.aspx?Committee=197

Comments are closed.