U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon used her first official visit to South Dakota to highlight educational outcomes and the importance of state and local control when educating kids.
This week (April 8, 2026), McMahon made stops at Colman-Egan High School and McCrossan Boy’s Ranch as part of her Returning Education to the States Tour. She also visited the Flandreau Indian School in support of the U.S. Department of Education’s History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour.
McMahon thanked Governor Larry Rhoden for making South Dakota one of the first states to opt into President Donald Trump’s school choice initiative. The initiative allows individuals to donate to organizations that provide tax credit scholarships, allowing families to choose the type of instruction that works best for their kids. The money will fund scholarships for families to use on a variety of educational purposes and will be available beginning in January (2027).
McMahon said the U.S. Department of Education plans to move toward block grant funding to make it easier for states to fund their own unique needs and bolster different education models, such as McCrossan Boys Ranch. During this year’s legislative session, Rhoden signed a bill (HB 1017) giving school boards flexibility to find alternative placement for disruptive students.
While with McMahon, Rhoden also highlighted the Build Dakota Scholarship and the close partnerships it facilitates between the K-12 education system, technical schools, and businesses. Build Dakota is designed to equip students with skills to thrive in high-demand industries and demonstrates a shared investment in building a skilled and sustainable workforce. For the 2025–26 academic year, a record high number of 630 new Build Dakota Scholarships were awarded.
Rhoden said McMahon and her team are doing “incredible work to bring education back to the states.” He said South Dakota is focused on improving outcomes through actions such as bringing phonics back to the classroom, using the Science of Reading research, and replacing common core math with common sense in math.
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