It’s the first day of school (Aug. 19, 2026) for the Pierre Public School District and the new superintendent is ready to get started. Dr. Donavan DeBoer began his duties July 1, 2026, and said he’s been getting to know school staff and community members. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpres s/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2026/08/081926-deboer1.mp3 DeBoer said he doesn’t plan to make too many changes during his first year with Pierre. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2026/08/081926-deboer2.mp3 DeBoer sees two hot topics he’ll likely be working on this year. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2026/08/081926-deboer3.mp3 Some of the other challenges in public education right now, according to DeBoer, were elevated by the COVID-19 pandemic. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2026/08/081926-deboer4.mp3 DeBoer is originally from Chamberlain and has spent time working at schools in Wood, Winner, Newell, Rapid City, Parker and Dell Rapids before being hired as the superintendent for the Pierre School District. Prior to the start of the 2026-27 academic year, DeBoer sat down with DRG Media News Director Jody Heemstra to share a little about his background, what his plans are for the coming year and some of the strengths and weaknesses he sees in public education these days. Listen to that conversation in this DRG Media Beyond the Mic podcast. It’s available for free from most popular podcast platforms. ...read more read less