Community member urges board to give elementary teachers larger role in curriculum decisions

Aaron Dang, an Augustana University assistant professor and former classroom teacher, used his five-minute public-comment slot to urge the Sioux Falls School District 49-5 board to involve elementary teachers more directly in curriculum and policy decisions and to reduce the overload of scripted programs, excessive technology use and diminished recess time.

Dang said he speaks as a community member, educator, parent and spouse of an elementary art teacher. He described the elementary classroom as a place that requires teachers to teach every subject and said programs designed in controlled settings may not generalize to unpredictable classrooms. "We have over a thousand teachers in our district with that master's degree or more. Let's lean into this expertise to lessen the unrealistic workload," Dang said.

He raised concerns about the scheduling pressure that accounts for every minute of a 300-minute school week without enough time for transitions or unplanned events. Dang argued educators are a barometer of what works and said overreliance on technology, scripted curricular programs and contrived assessment metrics can be unsustainable and may harm teacher–student relationships. He asked the board to invite teachers to decision-making tables and to reconsider districtwide policies that prevent school-level differentiation.

Dang noted federal-level changes and budget pressures could place more decision-making responsibility at the state or local level and urged the board to strengthen local policy by listening to professional educators. He closed by reiterating the request that the board engage teachers in policy development for elementary education. The board did not take specific action during the meeting on his request.