DOE spent $2.6M on road trips, summits to promote new social studies standards

As many as 240 teachers embarked on road trips across South Dakota last week to learn more about the state’s history − history they will teach to their students by developing lessons based on information they learned on the trip.

The road trips, and recent Civics & History Summits, are part of the South Dakota Department of Education’s rollout and implementation plan for new social studies standards that will be implemented in a year’s time.

But all of these events came at a cost to taxpayers and the SDDOE. The costs include:

• $789,642 combined for last year’s Civics & History Summit held June 12-14, 2023 in Sioux Falls, and the development of a curriculum guide for teachers in South Dakota.
• $468,491 for last year’s two five-day road trip routes with 160 attendees, held July 17-21, 2023.
• $525,000 was contracted for this year’s Civics & History Summit, held June 3-4 in Sioux Falls.
• $886,000 for this year’s three four-day road trips held July 15-18, 2024, funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. ARPA was a temporary influx of money to help schools bounce back from COVID-19.

All totaled, these events alone have cost the state more than $2.6 million. That’s not counting the more than $600,000 spent to get the new social studies standards drafted and trashed in 2021, then revised in 2022 and ultimately approved in 2023. The cost breakdown was not released until this week.

These totals also don’t account for what the standards implementation will cost going forward, which some educators have estimated could cost taxpayers millions more on the local level as school boards will need to approve curriculum purchases so educators have the correct materials to teach to the new standards.

What are these events?

Both the summits and the road trips were promoted by the SDDOE as it worked to garner support for and approve the social studies standards. Attendees covered their own transportation costs for all of these events.

Money for the 2023 summit came from a $900,000 appropriation made in 2021 for civics and history related initiatives. At least $94,074 of that appropriation went toward grants to several school districts across the state for civics initiatives.

The summit attendees who attended were given $300 stipends, complimentary lodging if requested for those coming from out-of-town, and meals provided while the conference was ongoing. Attendees also said they received free tote bags and water bottles with the summit logo on them, pens and copies of the new standards document.

Summit attendees took part in activities and lessons including methods educators can use to teach students on historical events, Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings, tips on Costa’s level of questioning and Bloom’s taxonomy, for example .

The expenditure for the two, five-day 2023 road trips on the west and east side of the state covered $750 stipends for attendees, hotels, meals, transportation to and from sites and fees at sites that required those. The routes were similar but varied slightly from this year’s route.

Attendees at the 2024 Civics & History Summit also received $300 stipends and had sessions ranging from “Using artificial intelligence to create lesson plans and rubrics” and “Face to face with Mount Rushmore,” to “Spiraling of the new South Dakota social studies standards” and “How South Dakota and the reservations got their shapes.”

The South Dakota Education Equity Coalition, which opposed the social studies standards for their lack of Indigenous representation, recently criticized the Summit for “glaringly omitting” substantial Native American representation, including that no session presenters were Indigenous, and some sessions presented “inaccurate and problematic portrayals,” South Dakota Searchlight reported .

To this argument, SDDOE public information specialist Nancy Van Der Weide said the new standards “represent the largest emphasis on Native American history, more than any previous set of standards, for both the volume of references and the breadth of tribes covered.”

Van Der Weide added that both the summit and road trips have “featured a strong emphasis on the importance of Native American history and culture in our social studies education.” She also noted the event featured the Black Pipe Singers drum group from Norris Elementary School in White River.

The expenditure for the road trips covered the cost of the hotel, transportation and $500 stipends for each teacher.

While this is the second consecutive year the SDDOE has offered the road trips, Van Der Weide said there are no plans to host them again beyond this year, despite the road trips being a major talking point and part of the implementation plan and teacher training for the new standards.

Van Der Weide said there will be no further road trips “because the purpose for the road trips was to help prepare South Dakota teachers to teach the social studies standards."

"The standards will be in full effect by fall 2025, and we wanted to make sure the teachers were able to prepare well before that date," she said.

She also noted that road trip visits to locations like Sica Hollow, the Akta Lakota Museum and Dignity statue in Chamberlain “offer a chance for local experts to share information about the Native peoples of the Great Plains, their history, culture, and contributions.”

Where did educators go on the road trips this month?

The SDDOE’s second annual road trips expanded this year to include a route in central South Dakota, in addition to similar West River and East River routes that teachers explored last year. The addition of a third route increased participation from 160 last year, with 80 for each route, to 240 this year, with 90 on the West River route and 75 on the other trips.

The DOE added the central route “because the trips were successful last year, and because there are many important locations in central South Dakota that are relevant to social studies instruction,” Van Der Weide said.

The East River road trip saw attendants stay overnight in Brookings on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the following activities:

• Monday: trips to Prairie Village in Madison, the Prehistoric Indian Village and Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell, and a dinner, tour and activities at McCrory Gardens in Brookings.
• Tuesday: trips to Sica Hollow State Park in Sisseton, a tour and educational sessions at Terry Redlin Art Center in Watertown, and dinner and activities there.
• Wednesday: trips to the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls and the Mead Museum in Yankton, and dinner, tours and activities at the Good Roots Farm & Gardens in Brookings.
• Thursday: breakfast, educational sessions and programming at Club 71 of the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

A press release from the DOE stated the stop at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village will help teachers “develop a better understanding of the first people to inhabit the region.”

Central road trip attendants stayed overnight in Pierre on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the following activities:

• Monday: trips to the Verendrye Monument and Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre, Sutton Rodeo in Onida, Dakota Sunset Museum in Gettysburg, and dinner and activities at Drifters Grille in Fort Pierre.
• Tuesday: visits to the Capitol Lake Visitors Center, State Capitol Building, Governor’s Residence, Mickelson Tour Center, Oahe Chapel, Farr House and High Point Hunting Lodge, and Trail of Governors.
• Wednesday: a trip to Chamberlain to see the St. Joseph Indian School and Akta Lakota Museum, South Dakota Hall of Fame, Dignity sculpture and welcome center.
• Thursday: breakfast, educational sessions and programming at Larkspur Landing in Pierre.

A press release from the DOE also stated attendees had sessions with the South Dakota Legislative Research Council, the South Dakota Supreme Court and the South Dakota Secretary of State.

West River road trip attendants stayed overnight in Rapid City on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the following activities:

• Monday: trips to Wind Cave National Park and the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, the 1880 Train in Hill City, and dinner and activities at Ruby House in Keystone.
• Tuesday: trips to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in Phillip, Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder, and the City of Presidents walking tour in Rapid City, with dinner and activities at Que Pasa Cantina in Rapid City.
• Wednesday: visits to the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead, Deadwood, the High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish, and dinner and activities at the Cowboy Supper Show in Spearfish.
• Thursday: breakfast, educational sessions and programming at The Box in Box Elder.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: DOE spent $2.6M on road trips, summits to promote new social studies standards