PIERRE, S.D. -- A sales tax increase passed by the Legislature in 2016 gave South Dakota teachers substantial raises. That in turn helped schools recruit the teachers they needed to fill vacancies. Now, a report from the state Department of Education shows most of the state's teachers are nearing retirement age faster than first-year teachers are being recruited.

Mary McCorkle, president of the South Dakota Education Association, said the 2016 raises put off the retirement of some of those veteran teachers.

"We probably delayed that a little bit because it was very attractive and so teachers who may have retired stayed,” McCorkle said. "But that will come to an end, and we need to make sure that we are attracting new educators into the profession. That's a critical component of the work that we need to do."

According to the education department, the average national retirement age for teachers is 59, and more than one-third of South Dakota's full-time teachers are at least 51.

McCorkle said while the raises were welcome, they were only part of the solution. She said another part of the law set up a year-long student teaching program for college students.

"I think that's a really important part of preparation because it gives those incoming teachers a real good idea of what it's like to be in the classroom and to have that whole year of experience,” she said.

Another part of the law created a teacher mentor program. McCorkle said it is another good move to retain teachers - especially those who are younger.

"That will make a difference for retaining them, because that has been where we as a state - and a lot of states, it isn't unique to South Dakota - where we have had problems is, we bring people in but [in] two, three years they are gone,” McCorkle said.

On average, teachers in South Dakota have more than 14 years of experience, and the averages in many school districts are well above the state numbers.


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A New York bill would require schools to teach about the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The bill calls for all K-12 students to be taught about the event, with the state determining how best to incorporate the events into history classes. Since 2021, public opinion on the U.S. Capitol attack has dulled because President Donald Trump and his supporters have downplayed it since then

Asm. Charles Lavine, D-Glen Cove, the bill's sponsor, said it is important not to whitewash the facts.

"The problem with whitewashing history is that students in those states are not going to learn to be the critical thinkers that we really need in order to confront the great dilemmas that will face us in the future," Lavine contended.

Though initial polls found people equated the Capitol attack with an attack on democracy, some polls show people approve of Trump's actions. Many groups have teaching tools so educators can accurately answer students' questions about Jan. 6.

While the bill is relatively new, it has garnered positive feedback. It is under review by the Assembly's Education Committee.

The bill comes several weeks after President Donald Trump pardoned everyone prosecuted for participating in the Jan. 6 attack. Polls show most people disapprove of the pardons.

Lavine acknowledged one challenge for the bill is finding an impartial way to teach about a politically polarizing event, adding it will be left to the state's education experts.

"Those are the members of the Board of Regents, in consultation with the state's Education Department, to make the determination about what is taught particularly in subject matters," Lavine outlined. "What this bill simply does is add to a list of major subject areas that should be instructed in our public schools."

Along with the Capitol attack, the bill also calls on teachers to educate students about patriotism, citizenship, civic education, values and America's history with diversity and religious tolerance. Lavine noted one goal of the bill is to ensure children learn about good and bad parts of history, from slavery and the Holocaust to the Irish potato famine.


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With cost at the forefront of prospective students' minds, higher education institutions in North Carolina are rethinking how to overcome one of the biggest barriers to enrollment.

William Peace University in Raleigh has launched its "Peace Pledge," a program offering 100% tuition coverage for qualifying students.

Damon Wade, vice president for enrollment management and marketing at the university, said school officials took a hard look at the enrollment challenges students faced.

"Cost was a major factor in their decision-making for them and their families," Wade observed. "We wanted to do our level best to try to mitigate that and remove cost as a barrier to their education as reasonably as we possibly could."

Qualifying students must be first-time, traditional undergraduate students who reside in North Carolina. They also must come from households with incomes of $75,000 or less, be eligible for federal Pell Grants and have a high school grade-point average of 3.25 or higher.

Other colleges in North Carolina are also offering free tuition, including Duke University, which covers tuition for families with incomes less than $150,000. Wade pointed out colleges are closely considering the cost students face.

"A lot of institutions around the country and then particularly in North Carolina have given thought to the cost associated with education and have come up with different pathways for students to enroll," Wade explained.

Wade added students want to enroll in programs to prepare them for the workforce or graduate school.

"But they want to do it in as cost-effective as possible," Wade emphasized. "We hear that from them and their parents, and they understand that mom and dad or their guardians don't always have the capacity to cover the cost."

Connecticut education advocates feel Gov. Ned Lamont's 2026-2027 budget proposal continues a history of underfunding education.

While the new budget increases special education spending by $40 million, some feel it's not enough, as Connecticut is in the third year of a statewide teacher shortage.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said education funding must change to benefit the whole system.

"What we tend to do is say, 'The costs were $260 million, we'll budget $160', without realizing districts across the state have to absorb $100-million in expenses," she explained.

She added if special education needs $260 million in funding, that's what should be included in the budget.

Another issue includes reviewing the Education Cost Sharing formula which hasn't kept up with the rate of inflation. Dias said adding more dollars to school districts can help retain educators and expand a dwindling workforce.

Underfunding of education has left Connecticut with larger class sizes and lower wages for all educators, making it harder to recruit new teachers. A 2024 survey finds 97% of educators are concerned about burnout because they're wearing many hats. But Dias said proving there's a problem is a challenge to get more education funding.

"One of the challenges we face is, ironically, our educators do a really good job of overcoming some of these barriers. We have teachers who put their own money back into their classrooms. As a result our test scores -- our national ranking if you will -- has not gone into the toilet," she continued.

This comes as federal education dollars are imperiled by President Donald Trump's agenda. Beyond executive orders initiating a total federal funding freeze, his plans to dismantle the Department of Education worry Dias, who believes as Connecticut's budget planning continues, the state of the federal government lurks in the back of her mind.

"Connecticut's not going to be able to cover for the federal government. It will be a loss of services to families and children, and that's the bottom line. In the education space, the loss of federal funds is a reduction in school lunch. We're not going to be able to provide school lunches," she concluded.


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