PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Governor Kristi Noem has appointed a new person to the South Dakota Board of Education Standards.
Noem’s office announced the selection of Steven Perkins of Sioux Falls on Tuesday night. Perkins will take the seat previously occupied by Aberdeen superintendent Becky Guffin, who was up for reappointment. Her term expired Dec. 31, 2022.
“Steve has grandkids of his own, and he realizes that their future is of the utmost importance,” the governor said in the news release. “He will always put the future of our next generation first in his approach to the Board of Education Standards, and that is why he is a great pick for this role.”
Guffin served as the state board’s president last year after Noem declined to reappoint the then-president, Jacqueline Sly of Rapid City. Guffin returned to her vice-president role this year as the board chose former Huron superintendent Terry Nebelsick as president.
The board meets Friday in Rapid City for the third in a series of public hearings on social-studies content standards.
The Perkins announcement came hours after Noem’s foster-kids scholarship plan was blocked by the Senate Education Committee.
Noem appointed Joe Graves as secretary for the state Department of Education in January after Tiffany Sanderson resigned to be president of Lake Area Technical College.
Capitol Bureau reporter Bob Mercer contributed to this story.