President’s Message
Dr. Wayne Kindle, Superintendent
Yankton School Dist.

As your president of the South Dakota School Superintendent’s Association, it’s truly humbling to serve school leaders who embody what it means to lead with purpose, vision, and heart.  We are leaders charged with shaping the future of our communities through the lens of public education.  In everything we do, we keep one guiding principle at the forefront, Students First!

Leadership is not about titles or positions. It’s about the courage to make difficult decisions, the humility to listen and learn, and the persistence to keep moving forward — even when the path is steep. Our school superintendents demonstrate this kind of leadership every single day.

Through-out the 2025-26 school year we will have time to connect, reflect, and grow together.  When we support one another as leaders, we strengthen the entire public school system that supports our students.

I want to personally thank you for your dedicated service, for leaning in, and for leading boldly. Together, we will continue to champion excellence in public education across South Dakota.

Let’s keep putting students first and let’s never forget the following quote from Yankton High School graduate Tom Brokaw:

 “There is a place in America to take a stand; it is public education.  It is the underpinning of our cultural and political system.  It is the great common ground.  Public Education after all is the engine that moves us as a society toward a common destiny.  It is in public education that the American dream begins to take shape.”

Respectfully,

Dr. Wayne Kindle
Yankton School District Superintendent
South Dakota School Superintendent’s Association President