(An interesting moment in the video is when candidate Johnson didn’t know how to answer a question about the separation of church and state.)
The Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce will host a School Board Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 4 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the school district’s Instructional Planning Center. This forum will feature Dawn Marie Johnson and Brian Mattson who are the two candidates actively running for one open seat on the Sioux Falls School Board.
The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters. Candidates will answer questions on their goals if they are elected.
This forum is free and open to the public. It will also be livestreamed on the Sioux Falls School District YouTube channel and KLRN TV- Midco cable channels 20 and 595.
(I voted yesterday early at the IPC. The person attending the voting told me they are getting 30-40 early voters per day. They are hand counting the vote, so I am sure whoever wins it will be by at least 80-90% of the vote 🙂
I see we are back to mini super precincts. The last time this particular seat was up for contention all of the precincts were ready, able, and willing. I have a better idea. Let’s get a groundhog, have it come out of a hole, and based on whether it sees its shadow will determine who wins the election.
It looks like Johnson is backed by the Democrats, the establishment, and the educational establishment, but that won’t be an issue in this race because nobody gets or reads the Argus anymore.
I’m still scratching my head about her non-answer on the separation of church and state (FF: 49:00). The question Mrs. Bliss asked was, “Do you fundamentally believe in the separation of church and state?” I think the question was some kind of gotcha from the audience, but not sure if it was a gotcha for Dawn or Brian. Brian was up first and nailed it, “Yes, as set forth by the constitution.” Not only was his answer the correct one, he did not hesitate and seemed baffled by the simplicity of such an easy question. Then we have Dawn’s answer (whispering into the microphone), “I don’t know how to answer that right now.”
In Dawn’s defense, it was a weird question during a school board debate, BUT WAS IT? Maybe she was thinking this was some kind of a setup, but I just thought it was a great constitutional question to ask them. Maybe Dawn didn’t hear the question, but if that was the case, why didn’t she ask for it to be repeated?
The irony is that Dawn had stacks of notes in front of her with all kinds of stats about the district and diversity, and she really showed her district knowledge, but to not answer a simple constitutional question like that, I got a little concerned. ELECTED OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY EDUCATORS, NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND OUR CONSTITUTION!
I already voted for Dawn (purely based on her experience) but after watching the debate last night, I think the election could go either way.
I just wonder if Ripple Effect knows Brian’s son lives in California and is a ballet dancer?
“But Ronald Reagan’s son was a ballet dancer, too”…..
Having a part of the educational community talk about diversity is rather ironic. Our local school system is diverse in a macro sense, but not in a micro sense. If leaders in our education community are really concerned about diversity then where were their voices during the boundary changes three years ago?
My daughters are grown and I’ve moved outside the district. I don’t have a horse in this race but Ill drink Julips tomorrow at Larchwood. Dawn Johnson impresses me. She’s sharp, full of energy, and wants to give back to the community. It shows from her unrehearsed comments and a look around the room for public impact. Basically, she’s not a politician and will give full time without campaigning for higher office soon after she wins.
Church should not be a subject in the present complicated school environment. State is taught but primary and HS years are to early for political division. Why not just concentrate on education, teachers, security, renovation, and school lunch? There’s plenty of time after minors age for religious brainwashing.
School is different in the 21st century. Getting safely to/from school, learning something, surviving ridicule, bullying, and getting your meal for the day without getting shot can barely be guaranteed. Leave your Bible at church.