South Dakota voters resoundingly disapprove of education overhaul passed during the 20-12 legislative session. Referred Law 16 failed this election, with nearly 70 percent of ballots opposing the measure. State Senator Deb Peters ran her re-election campaign unopposed. She championed the sweeping measure H-B 12-34 during the session.
"In talking to voters, they didn't understand all five pieces. I think it was too much in one fell swoop. So I think if we break it down again into bite sized pieces we'll be able to make some of the same changes, but also listen to the task forces, too, says Peters. Obviously they've been working on it for a lot longer than we thought about it last session, and they're going to have some better ideas and we're going to try to incorporate them going forward.
Peters says lawmakers now have elements to craft better education reform. She says they'll especially consider teaching and administrator input next session.