shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com July 11, 2017 • Page 3 Matching Students With Workforce Needs By Gov. Dennis Daugaard: Last week, I was honored to begin a one-year term as chairman of the Western Governors Association. The WGA includes governors of 19 western states – those to the north and south of South Dakota, and every state to the west. Each WGA chair selects a policy initiative to focus on during the chair’s one-year term. Over the next 12 months I will focus on workforce development. South Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Although this is a sign of a strong economy, it creates a challenge for our businesses. Many struggle to attract skilled workers in high-need fields such as engineering, information technology, healthcare and the construction trades. The shortage of skilled workers limits businesses’ ability to grow and serve more customers. At the same time, too many young people are unaware of the opportunities that are available to them. More and more good jobs require training beyond a high school diploma. Despite this, only about two-thirds of South Dakota high school graduates go on to further education at a university or technical institute. Although South Dakota is one of the best in the nation in this regard, there is room for improvement. Among those who do pursue additional education after high school, many are unaware of which educational pathways lead to skills or credentials which are in demand and qualify a person for good jobs. We need to do a better job of career counseling. Of course, I want our young people to follow their dreams as they choose schools and careers, but I also want them to have their eyes open as they make those choices. In recent weeks, I have met with a number of leaders of South Dakota school districts, to ask them how we can address this issue. They agreed that one approach is to offer more job-based training in high school. This can take the form of internships, apprenticeships or hands-on learning at the school. For example, in Yankton, many seniors are able to complete their classwork in the morning, so that they can work three hours each afternoon at a paid, work-based internship. In Harrisburg, the high school will begin to offer an “early college” model that allows students who complete their high school coursework to begin to take introductory college classes, using the state’s dual credit program. Madison High School has partnered with several large employers to create work experiences that award credits that transfer to a technical institute. I fully support efforts like this, and I have told school superintendents that the state will do what it can to support these efforts, even if some state rules must be waived or modified. These programs give young people real work experience, so they are more prepared to enter the workforce. In many cases, students get credit toward their high school and technical institute or university education. And students get the opportunity to explore different occupations, to better identify a career that they might pursue after high school – or find that a career is not interesting or suitable for them. Last month, I was among several governors who attended a White House roundtable discussion about workforce development. The discussion included President Trump, Ivanka Trump, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta and U.S. Small Business Administration Director Linda McMahon. The governors present represented every part of the country, and we all face similar challenges. I appreciate the federal focus on this issue, and I hope the Western Governors Association initiative will also contribute. Still, in the end, these are issues that will be solved locally, as school leaders and business leaders join together to do what is right for their communities. Gov. Daugaard Names Inaugural Members To Government Accountability Board PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard has announced his appointments to the new Government Accountability Board. The board was created this legislative session by House Bill 1076, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Karen Soli of Sioux Falls and Sen. Brock Greenfield of Clark. The legislation, which took effect July 1, requires that the board be made up of four retired justices or judges. The board is empowered to receive ethics complaints about statewide elected officials or executive branch employees, initiate investigations into complaints and refer alleged criminal activity to the Division of Criminal Investigation. “House Bill 1076 wisely required that the Government Accountability Board be made up of retired judges, who are by their nature non-political and are known for their judgment and discretion,” said Gov. Daugaard. “These four appointees all have excellent reputations, and I thank them all for their service. The public can be confident that state government will continue to be operated ethically and will deal with wrongdoing if it arises.” The Governor’s appointees to the board are: • Justice Lori S. Wilbur, who retired from the South Dakota Supreme Court earlier this year after serving on the court since 2011. Prior to that service, she was a Sixth Circuit judge from 1999 to 2011. Wilbur also served as a magistrate judge and as an assistant attorney general, was chair of the South Dakota Judges Association, and served on the Judicial Qualifications Commission and the State Bar Ethics Committee. • Judge Gene Paul Kean, who served as a Second Circuit judge from 1981 to 2006 and is a past chair of the South Dakota Judges Association. Prior to that service, he also served as Minnehaha County state’s attorney. • Judge David R. Gienapp, who served as a Third Circuit judge from 2002 to 2013. Gienapp also served as an assistant attorney general, an assistant U.S. Attorney and as chair of the Judicial Qualifications Commission. • Judge Patricia C. Riepel, who served as a Second Circuit judge from 2007 to 2016 and is a past chair of the South Dakota Judges Association. Prior to that service, she also served as a magistrate judge and as a Minnehaha 2015 Ford County public defender. Explorer XLT House Bill 1076 required that no more than two board 4x4, 31k miles, members be of the same political party. Justice Wilbur Black/Black Leather, and Judge Gienapp are registered Republicans; Judge Front & Air Bags Needed Kean and Judge Riepel are registered Democrats. The You FIX you SAVE appointments are effective immediately and are subject to Senate confirmation during the next legislative session. Department Of Agriculture Pesticide Container Recycling Collection Begins July 10 PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) encourages all agriculture producers and businesses to take advantage of free pesticide container recycling collection in 37 locations across the state from Monday, July 10 until Thursday, Sept. 7. “Many solid waste facilities do not take pesticide containers because they do not have enough staff to ensure containers are properly prepared for disposal,” said SDDA Agricultural Services Division assistant director Tom Gere. “Recycling is the preferred way to dispose of them because containers are removed from the solid waste stream and the discarded materials can be reused.” Only two and a half gallon containers or smaller that previously contained crop protection products are accepted during these collection times. Larger containers will be collected at a later arranged date and time.” Labels must be removed and containers must be triple or pressure rinsed to remove contaminants. Containers are ground up and sent to a facility where the plastic is often used to make drain tiles, speed bumps, fence posts or for other agricultural uses. “State law prohibits the burning of these plastic pesticide containers so taking advantage of the Pesticide Container Recycling Program is an easy option for disposal,” said Gere. “If you are a large quantity generator of containers, or have no collections in your area, it may be possible to have SDDA staff come directly to your location and collect containers.” SDDA provides the Pesticide Container Recycling Program at no cost. In 2016, SDDA collected 226,650 two and a half gallon containers, 740 drums and 1,173 of the large tanks. For a full schedule of container pick up times and locations, please visit http://sdda.sd.gov. Find the 2017 pesticide container recycle dates under “Happening Now” on the right side of the page. For more information on these collections, please contact SDDA at 605-773-4432. Agriculture is a major contributor to South Dakota’s economy, generating $25.6 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 115,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect and preserve South Dakota agriculture for today and tomorrow. Visit SDDA online at http://sdda. sd.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter. SD Ag Chat podcasts can be found http://sdda.sd.gov/news. You may subscribe to SD Ag Chat, free of charge, through Google Play Music, iTunes or from https://sdagchat.podbean. com/. Want your business to be seen? Get your display ad here! Call 605-665-5884 Or Drop By At 319 Walnut St. Ready to RIDE 3 to choose from RepaiRable $9,200 Interested in this spot? ? Smile.IN THIS SPOT? 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