Republican politicians and their failure to adequately fund South Dakota schools instead of budget reserves are neglecting the best interests of the state’s children, a Democratic candidate for a District 22 House seat said Thursday.

“They think laptops are more important than state aid,” Peggy Gibson of Huron said at a Beadle County Democratic Party campaign lunch.

“In other words, our kids end up in prison, your property taxes still go up and the Republican solution is to stockpile your tax dollars in more reserve funds,” she said. “The key to economic development and cutting crime is education.”

She cited statistics from a Kids Count report this summer by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that shows the South Dakota juvenile incarceration rate to be triple the national average.

South Dakota ranks last in the nation in state government contributions per student to K-12 education. South Dakota pays $2,922 per student compared with the national average of $5,018, as reported by the Census Bureau.

The state’s teachers are the lowest paid in the nation, and 14 percent of fourth graders and 19 percent of eighth graders scored below the basic level in math that is expected for their grades, Gibson said. The national average is 19 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

She also said a large percentage of teachers will be retiring in the next two to five years and school districts will be severely disadvantaged in attracting quality teachers.

Gibson also said more than 90,000 South Dakotans have no health insurance, not because they don’t want it, but because they can’t afford it.

Health care premiums rose 34.6 percent in South Dakota since 2000.

“Families are working longer hours, making them pressed for time to care for their children and aging parents,” she said. “Gas and home heating costs are squeezing seniors and working families alike.”

Also speaking was Matt McGovern, South Dakota director of the Barack Obama presidential campaign and grandson of former senator and presidential candidate George McGovern.

Eighteen days before the election, the campaign is looking encouraging, he said.

“Barack Obama has reached out to a whole new generation of voters who don’t normally participate and who registered for the first time,” McGovern said.

He said voters want to see change in Washington, D.C., and Obama is the candidate to do that.

“He’s been bringing people from all sides,” he said.

He said his grandfather has been campaigning on Obama’s behalf in various areas of the country.

In her remarks, Gibson said forward-thinking leadership is needed to foster prosperous economic development in industries that will help the state’s economy grow and create fair-paying jobs.

She said South Dakota must promote alternative energy such as wind, ethanol and biodiesel.

“We need to make our economic market more diverse by adding high technology jobs and increased educational opportunities as a means to work with South Dakotans engaged in agriculture and tourism,” Gibson said.

She also called for open, accountable and ethical government. “We will use technology to make government more transparent, accountable and inclusive,” she said. “We will encourage lifting the veil of secret deals and the closed-door caucus.

“We will work to enhance the flow of information between South Dakota citizens and government,” Gibson said.

She said her approach as a state representative would be to work with others in a bipartisan manner to solve problems.

“For years, I have worked diligently with varied organizations to get things done in Huron,” she said.

She described herself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, one who believes in being inclusive and accepting of diverse views.

As the economy continues to struggle nationally, many have questions about their economic security and what can be done at the state and national levels to improve conditions, Gibson said.

“Our leaders at both the state and federal level need to abandon the politics of partisan division and find creative solutions to promote the common good,” she said.