A Path to Better Students

April 13, 2025
Seal SD Liberty

Education Plans and Costs: A Path to Better Students and High-Level Learning in South Dakota

As a deeply committed family man running for South Dakota governor, I, Jerry Odom, believe in putting our families first—and that starts with ensuring our children receive an education that fosters high-level learning and prepares them for a bright future. To achieve this, we need to analyze what works and what doesn’t in our schools. Below, I’ve examined the education plans and costs from four diverse schools—International High School (New York), Quebec Heights (Wisconsin), BrewTech High School (Alabama), and a model school in Ceará, Brazil—to uncover strategies that can improve student outcomes in South Dakota. We’ll explore whether this is just a “teacher thing” or if broader systemic changes are needed, all while prioritizing liberty and family values.

Education Plans and Costs: A Four-School Analysis

To understand how to improve education, let’s look at four schools with distinct approaches, focusing on their plans, costs, and outcomes:

  • International High School (New York):
  • Plan: This school, focused on recent immigrants, emphasizes personalized learning through small class sizes, team-based teaching, and multi-context learning (e.g., internships, field trips). Teachers take on counseling roles, eliminating the need for separate guidance counselors, and focus on language skills embedded in content areas (Web ID: 3).
  • Cost Efficiency: By reallocating resources—cutting roles like deans and attendance officers—International High prioritizes teaching staff, reducing administrative overhead. Specific cost data isn’t available, but this model suggests a leaner budget focused on direct student support (Web ID: 3).
  • Outcome: High engagement and language acquisition for immigrant students, showing that personalized, teacher-driven approaches can lead to high-level learning (Web ID: 3).
  • Quebec Heights (Wisconsin):
  • Plan: Quebec Heights uses multi-age grouping (“families” of 75–85 students across grades 1–3 or 4–6) to address diverse skill levels, integrates special education into these groups, and eliminates separate Title 1 programs to reduce reading group sizes for all students (Web ID: 3).
  • Cost Efficiency: This restructuring reduces the need for specialized staff, redirecting funds to classroom instruction. While exact costs aren’t provided, the model implies savings by mainstreaming special education and Title 1 resources (Web ID: 3).
  • Outcome: Improved student engagement and academic growth through tailored instruction, demonstrating that structural changes can enhance high-level learning (Web ID: 3).
  • BrewTech High School (Alabama):
  • Plan: BrewTech focuses on a positive school culture, using social media to showcase its brand and recognition, which boosts student attendance and engagement. It also emphasizes professional learning communities (PLCs) for data-driven instruction (Web ID: 7).
  • Cost Efficiency: Social media branding is low-cost, relying on existing platforms, while PLCs leverage teacher collaboration without significant additional spending. Specific budget figures aren’t available, but this approach suggests minimal extra costs (Web ID: 7).
  • Outcome: Increased student attendance and improved academic outcomes through a supportive culture, showing that non-academic factors can drive high-level learning (Web ID: 7).
  • Ceará State Schools (Brazil):
  • Plan: Ceará implemented a structured pedagogy approach, focusing on foundational literacy and numeracy with scripted lesson plans, in-situ teacher coaching, and robust assessments. They also improved municipal education leadership to support teachers (Web ID: 6).
  • Cost Efficiency: The state used low-cost, scalable methods like solar-powered tablets for literacy programs, minimizing expenses. From 2009 to 2019, Ceará’s education budget wasn’t detailed, but their focus on efficiency suggests a cost-effective model (Web ID: 6).
  • Outcome: A 12% increase in national assessment scores (Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Básica) from 2009 to 2019, moving from poor to fair performance, proving that structured support can elevate student learning (Web ID: 6).

Is It Just a “Teacher Thing”?

Teachers are crucial—research shows they have two to three times the impact of any other school factor on student achievement (Web ID: 5). But improving education for better students and high-level learning isn’t just a “teacher thing.” It’s a systemic issue that requires a blend of teacher support, structural changes, and a focus on liberty-first principles.

  • Teacher Effectiveness:
  • Experience Matters: Teachers improve with experience, especially in collaborative environments—gains in effectiveness are steepest in the first years but continue into the second and third decades (Web ID: 15). South Dakota must invest in retaining experienced teachers, not just hiring new ones.
  • Professional Development (PD): Effective PD, like in-situ coaching seen in Ceará, leads to lasting changes in teaching practices (Web ID: 4). Teachers need continuous, on-site support, not one-off workshops that progressives love to fund but fail to deliver results.
  • Collaboration: International High School and BrewTech show that teacher collaboration—through team-based teaching and PLCs—boosts student outcomes (Web ID: 3, Web ID: 7). South Dakota teachers should have dedicated time to plan together, not be bogged down by administrative bloat.
  • Systemic Changes:
  • Personalized Learning: Quebec Heights’ multi-age grouping and International High’s multi-context learning show that tailoring education to student needs drives high-level learning (Web ID: 3). South Dakota should ditch one-size-fits-all approaches pushed by progressive bureaucrats.
  • School Culture: BrewTech’s focus on a positive culture increased attendance, proving that non-academic factors matter (Web ID: 7). South Dakota schools need to foster environments where students feel valued, not indoctrinated.
  • Resource Allocation: International High cut administrative roles to focus on teaching staff, a model South Dakota can follow to redirect funds to classrooms (Web ID: 3). Let’s stop funding progressive pet projects and prioritize our kids!

The Liberty Connection: Property Taxes Undermine Education

High property taxes—$954 million in 2021-22 (SD News Watch)—hurt South Dakota families, making it harder to afford quality education. They violate the Fifth Amendment by risking foreclosure without just compensation, forcing families to choose between taxes and essentials like groceries (eggs at $6.23/dozen, Post ID: 0). This burden reduces disposable income, stifling consumer spending (70% of the U.S. economy, Web ID: 5) and economic growth, which limits resources for schools. My Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) plan will end property taxes, freeing families to invest in their children’s education—whether through tutoring, technology, or simply affording a stable home life.

Snarky Commentary: Progressive Socialists Posing as Americans

  • Tax Tyranny Strikes Again: $954 million in property taxes (SD News Watch)—progressives call it “education funding,” I call it theft! The Fifth Amendment says no taking without just compensation, but these posers would rather see your family struggle than fund schools the liberty-first way!
  • Egg on Their Face: Eggs at $6.23/dozen (Post ID: 0)—progressives let inflation run wild while taxing your home into foreclosure. Liberty means affording breakfast, not funding their woke curriculum!
  • Teacher Trap: Progressives push one-off workshops that waste time—South Dakota teachers need real support, not socialist seminars! Liberty means empowering teachers, not indoctrinating them!
  • Family Values Fail: 44 million Americans food-insecure (USDA, Web ID: 4), and progressives keep taxing families out of their homes—where’s the family values in that? They’re not Americans; they’re tax-happy socialists in disguise!

A Liberty-First Plan for Better Students and High-Level Learning

As a family man, I’m fighting for South Dakota’s children because I know what’s at stake—our families, our values, our future. Here’s how we’ll improve education while prioritizing liberty:

  • Empower Teachers: Provide continuous, in-situ coaching and collaboration time, as seen in Ceará and International High School, to boost teacher effectiveness (Web ID: 3, Web ID: 6).
  • Personalize Learning: Adopt multi-age grouping and multi-context learning, like Quebec Heights and International High, to meet diverse student needs (Web ID: 3).
  • Foster School Culture: Follow BrewTech’s lead with a positive, student-focused culture to increase engagement and attendance (Web ID: 7).
  • End Property Taxes: My GRT plan will eliminate property taxes, saving homes and freeing families to invest in education—South Dakota’s $1.5 billion sales tax revenue (SD Dept of Revenue, 2023) and $109 million surplus (South Dakota Searchlight, 2023) can fund schools without federal strings.

Join me at the Liberty Forum, April 19th, 2:00 PM, First Assembly of God, Rapid City, to fight for an education system that puts families first and fosters high-level learning through liberty! Share if you’re with me! #OdomForLiberty #SouthDakotaStrong #TaxReformSD #FreedomFirst