SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS EDUCATION ADVOCACY COHORT

Competitive pay for South Dakota student teachers and standardized contact hours required for fine arts programs are key legislative platform issues for the newly created South Dakota Arts Education Advocacy Cohort. In collaboration with Arts South Dakota, leadership from eight associations are working together to make certain that arts education remains a priority for South Dakota students.

“Visual arts, music, theater and dance all contribute to the fabric of our vibrant South Dakota art communities,” says Mary Cogswell, chair of the Arts Advocacy Cohort. “By collectively advocating for sustained funding and resources, we will ensure that current and future generations will benefit from the transformative power of arts education.”

The cohort has not yet set or defined policy initiatives, but is looking into the needs across this sector for all ages, for all fine arts.

Cogswell joins nine other South Dakota arts educators for the cohort: Laura Schenk, S.D. Music Education Association; Beth Neitzert, S.D. String Teachers Association; Mandy DeWitt, S.D. Art Education Association; Desy Schoenewies, S.D. College Art Association; Kristen Dunlap, S.D. Bandmasters Association, Ben Van Moer, S.D. American Choral Directors Association; Michelle McIntyre, Speech Communication Association of South Dakota; Dave Sanderson, Associate Professor of Music Education, University of South Dakota; and Shane Wuebben, Fine Arts Coordinator, Sioux Falls School District.