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Western Dakota Tech Letting Go Wife of Legislator Who Opposed Increased Vo-Tech Funding

Yesterday I noted Western Dakota Technical Institute financial aid director Starla Russell’s assertion that the school is letting her and her two assistants go in retaliation for candid comments to an accreditation team about problems at WDTI.

One of my more pot-stirring readers reminded me that Starla Russell is married to Rep. Lance Russell, who is challenging incumbent District 30 Senator Bruce Rampelberg in the GOP primary.

In February, Rep. Russell voted against the Schoenbeck Amendment to House Bill 1182, which diverted 3% (a projected $3.2 million) of the new half-penny sales tax for K-12 teacher pay to increase salaries for post-secondary vo-tech instructors. Rep. Russell, who had proposed his own budget-neutral bill to increase K-12 teacher pay but might have cut vo-tech schools, then voted against HB 1182 both times that the House took a crack at the full bill. HB 1182 passed over Rep. Russell’s objection, and Western Dakota Tech will get its share of the money (enough, I estimate, to raise each vo-tech instructor’s pay by $10,000, a bigger raise than 98% of our teachers are likely to see from the pay-raise legislation).

A commenter under RCJ‘s coverage of the WDTI cannings sees karma for the Russell family. I see coincidence. My pot-stirring reader doesn’t believe in coincidence.

11 Comments

  1. Rorschach 2016-04-14 10:39

    It’s tough to be Starla Russell. Always somebody’s punching bag.

  2. tim 2016-04-14 12:01

    ” I see coincidence. My pot-stirring reader doesn’t believe in coincidence.”
    You mean, of course, “nothing other than coincidence.” No one can not believe in coincidence, since it’s clearly evident when two or more incidents happen at about the same time…the point is whether there is MORE than coincidence afoot.
    “clear thinking begins with clear language.” (mplstim)

  3. Steve Sibson 2016-04-14 13:03

    “I see coincidence.”

    Cory, have you ever heard of “crony capitalism”, or are you an apologist for the movement?

  4. Roger Cornelius 2016-04-14 13:42

    Sibson,
    Have you posted on your own blog since March 11?
    Why don’t you write about crony capitalism on your own blog?

  5. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-04-14 19:52

    Tim, I appreciate your attention to detail. My friend should have phrased it this way: “Everything is more than coincidence.”

    Steve, go get me evidence that Mrs. Russell’s termination is more than coincidence.

  6. Mark Winegar 2016-04-14 20:42

    The GOP it’s keeping their own in line is just another example of the corruption that occurs when one party has had too much control for far too long.

  7. Donald Pay 2016-04-14 22:02

    I’ve always felt that there is a problem involving governance of the Technical Institutes. I thought there needed to be a better way to govern these institutes, but I didn’t know how to do it.

    Maybe things have changed, but when I was on the RC School Board, we spent very little time overseeing WDTI, though technically we were responsible for it. Basically we just accepted whatever we were handed by the President. Any votes we took were made in ignorance and were rubber stamps. We never had any input from anyone, students or staff, other than an occasional 5 minute presentation by the President. I think we approved the budget, but I don’t recall going over it in any detail. I think I spent about 5 minutes per year of WDTI matters.

    I think these institutions are much too important to be so poorly served by a governing board, and I am ashamed I didn’t make a bigger point of this. WDTI has really outgrown the model of a local school district taking charge. The fact is WDTI during my time on the board was an orphan. Now, again, maybe things have changed and RC Area Schools are spending more effort at providing governance, but, if not, there needs to be a new way to provide governance. I’m not sure how that would happen.

  8. grudznick 2016-04-14 22:08

    Mr. Russell’s proposal was all wind and no substance. A vacuous idea with no support. French Math in a bag, dumbed down to the equivalent of a school-lunch to go.

    It is sad for his wife. Very sad. But sometimes things happen than need to happen. I’m just sayin…

  9. grudznick 2016-04-14 22:09

    Mr. Winegar, isn’t Mr. Russell a Republican? Why on earth, if what you say is true, would the Republicans fire the wife of a fine, upstanding Republican like Mr. Russell?

    Or are you just against the Moderate and Common Sense Republicans, but with the crazies?

  10. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-04-15 16:22

    Donald, we do have Amendment R on this year’s ballot, placed there by the Legislature to clarify that the Regents are not responsible for governing the vo-techs and authorizes the Legislature to designate governance. Perhaps if R passes, the 2017 Legislature will create a vo-tech board?

  11. clcjm 2016-04-16 14:16

    Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it’s karma.

Comments are closed.