June 2018

What we know about Gear Up

l3wis June 2, 2018 3Comments

When I hear someone like Russ Janklow say that Noem is running a negative campaign against Jackley, you just kind of scratch your head. While I don’t agree with everything Noem has said in her campaign, pointing out the truth about the DCI coverup is not negative campaigning, it’s the truth. Why doesn’t Jackley bring up the millions in farm subsidies that Noem’s family has received over the years?

Much of the same could be said about his other scandals, like EB-5, the Mette Rape case or Gear Up.

Here’s what we know for sure about Gear Up;

• Barely any Native American students benefitted from Gear Up.

According to Michael Wyland of Nonprofit Quarterly,

“Disturbingly, while the GEAR UP program reported serving several thousand low-income, predominantly Native American students prepare for success in postsecondary education, not a single student receiving special education services was served during the 2005-2011 period. We now know the original grant application stressed equitable participation in program services and even documented the percentage of special education students in each of the two dozen schools to be served.”

• When Jackley was questioned about the missing safe at the Westerhuis’s house that could have important MCEC information in it, he said, “Jackley believes it was most likely destroyed in the fire, but could have been stolen or moved somewhere else by Scott Westerhuis.”

• Gear Up started in 2005, the GEAR UP grant did not have an effective system of collecting data or consistently tracking performance. South Dakotans simply do not know, through data, whether the millions of dollars of grant funds helped Native American students prepare for or succeed in college.

• Whatever happened to the missing millions in consulting fees?

When will Jackley really investigate this mess? If ever? Just another scandal he continues to sweep under the rug. Hopefully he will have more time on his hands after June 5th.