SOUIX FALLS, S.D. (KSNW) – From new schedules to new mottos, the Sioux Falls School District is looking at making some changes.
The first one has to do with something the South Dakota legislature passed this year.
Beginning this fall, the national motto of the United States, “In God We Trust,” has to be displayed in every public school in a prominent location.
Souix Falls Superintendent Brian Maher says he hopes to use the display as a teaching tool to help students learn about federal, state and local government.
“We will not only have ‘In God We Trust’ prominently displayed, but our goal is to go beyond that and kind of turn it into a civics lesson, as well,” Maher said.
Maher doesn’t know how much the displays will cost the district, but says they’ll more than likely be something laminated and poster size.
The other topic has to do elementary school schedules. The district has hired a company to study the schedules at all 23 elementary schools to see whether there is a better and more efficient way to schedule class times for students and staff.
“I don’t know if we’ll have a whole new schedule,” Maher said. “I know we will have studied it, and if we can build a better mousetrap, we will build a better mousetrap. If the best mousetrap is the mousetrap we already have, we will continue to use our mousetrap.”
Maher says it’s more about tweaking the current schedules, rather than changing them.
Some parents have expressed concerns on social media that new elementary schedules would eliminate fine arts, but Maher says that’s not going to happen.
