Holy cow! Rep. Lance Russell (R-30/Hot Springs) beats Governor Dennis Daugaard and the Democrats to the punch and puts the first real teacher pay bill of the Session in the hopper!
House Bill 1130 is the bill Rep. Russell promised last month to raise teacher pay by raiding video lottery. HB 1130 deposits the first $75 million from the state’s cut of video lottery net machine income in a new Teacher Salary Enhancement Fund. $75 million is the amount the Blue Ribbon K-12 panel said was necessary to raise our statewide average teacher salary from $40,023 to $48,000. HB 1130’s funding thus provides for a lower salary than the Governor’s plan for $48,500, but Rep. Russell also isn’t trying to get rid of 400 teachers.
Rep. Russell’s proposal answers concerns that new state funding actually go to teachers with blissful simplicity: every month, the Department of Education cuts a check to each school district from the Teacher Salary Enhancement Fund proportionate to the number of teachers on staff, and each school district must then distribute that money to its teachers within thirty days. HB 1130 doesn’t specify equal shares for each teacher, so districts could give some teachers bigger TSEF checks than others, but they can’t spend that money on principals, buses, or football uniforms.
HB 1130 wouldn’t take $75 million from video lottery in the first year. The bill seeds the TSEF with almost $19.3 million in transfers from the state budget reserve, the petroleum release compensation fund, the state risk pool, and the Department of Corrections.
A true fiscal conservative, Rep. Russell makes sure he pays for his budget cuts. Section 9 of HB 1130 offsets the video lottery transfers by cutting all other programs’ general-fund appropriations by an equal percentage. Excluded from those cuts are K-12 education, the funds specified above, long-term care services, the South Dakota Developmental Center (which needs all the help it can get), and bond lease payments. I’m not sure about Rep. Russell’s math here, but I’m guessing that those other budget lines could face cuts of 6% or more. (Readers, legislators, Bureau of Finance and Management, I invite your fiscal impact clarifications!)
We need to check Rep. Russell’s plan, but in terms of teacher pay and impact on the schools, it is the cleanest teacher pay plan proposed yet this session. Rep. Russell doesn’t monkey with the funding formula. He doesn’t try to fund a bunch of other education programs like distance learning or teacher mentoring. He doesn’t raise taxes one penny, or a half a penny. And he doesn’t give in to his inner wingnut and lar don any conservative hobbyhorses like merit pay or vouchers. He just raises teacher pay.
I’m not ready to endorse, but House Bill 1130 is worth talking about. Way to legislate, Rep. Russell!
I have a bad feeling though that nothing is going to happen. I hope I’m wrong
Oh, Cory. Don’t give credit where it is NOT due. Rep. Russell is doing his usual—giving people the simplistic answers he’s trained them to think they are entitled to, without doing the hard work to see if what he’s proposing makes any sense whatsoever. You say he’s making a down payment? No way. He’s proposing to take one-time funds that already are allocated elsewhere in the Gov’s budget, e.g. to medical providers and paying off Board of Regents bonds. And as for his future year proposal, he’s saying (but not out loud) that the Gov hasn’t cut corrections, colleges, technical schools, the court system, his own VA hospital, enough, because he’s telling them to somehow find MORE general funds to cut. He’s saying that all the federal matching funds he’s throwing out the window when he cuts the state match won’t be noticed. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of lunacy. The sooner Rep. Russell and those of his persuation are pried loose from their “principles” and forced to deal with reality, the better for South Dakota’s children,
I can’t even hardly believe what your saying about a republican like Lance to be true Ms. Wismer. Where ever did you get the idea that they have ever proposed anything in this state in the last 25 years or so that did not steal from corrections, colleges, technical schools, the court system and on it goes? I mean, you act as though you have seen this kabuki dance before, regularly.
Absolutely nothing will happen.
“I have a bad feeling though that nothing is going to happen. I hope I’m wrong”
Owen, I feel the same way about all of this. I never thought I would say it, but I kind of miss Janklow right now (I can’t believe I just said that…?). Janklow, love him or hate him always had an answer to things and his brilliance could be used right now.
Although, often his knack in doing things was highly dependent upon one-time monies, which I think are at the root of this whole problem at the expense of equitable tax reform and more money for education in this state, at least he had answers and got things done in the short run. We are lacking true leadership on this issue right now from the Governor’s office. I am afraid we are not even going to get to kick the can down the road a little bit further with some short term solvency given our current leadership.
Pessimism stands a good chance of ruling the day over the whole deal, really, I feel. The conservative way of SD legislators majority cannot admit they’ve failed the people and keep the charades going of ‘no new taxes’ and ‘fiscal responsibility’ while at the same time not being willing to watch over the state’s expenditures under GOED, education grants, EB5 etc etc. Unwilling to step up and say “Our taxing system is flawed” (and by the way we created it) they will status quo this the best they can without ruffling feathers to demand moneys from those that can most afford it and stand to gain the most from a good education system. And/or in the near future calling again for a “structural defieciency budget cut across the board”, eh?
There is nothing there. It’s a gimmick that’s been used over and over again in South Dakota. That’s not to say Daugaard’s plan isn’t almost as gimmicky as well. There really is no honesty or innovative thinking left in the Republican Party, especially not in South Dakota. They keep doing the same things over and over, and they don’t work. It’s insanity, and so is voting for these people.
Money and the Department of Education?
Good luck with that. More crime scenes.
Maybe it’s just me, but that handsome devil Lance Russell’s looking more and more like DEA agent Hank Schrader (actor Dean Norris) these days. Remember the crazy gung ho cop on “Breaking Bad?”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Norris
Okay. Maybe if Lance dropped several pounds and got braces.
Lots of whittling to cut back the governors plan. They need to remind themselves that the poll of seventy percent of the population is for it. If they get voted out as bad as the people that were for income tax got voted out they will wake up.
Young Ms. Wismer is probably even wiser now then she was when she was in the legislatures. It is a day insaner than Mr. Russell when grudznick, Bill and Ms. Wismer all agree.
I’ll give Russell credit but there are now so many plans out there that nothing might get done.
Here is another plan a Davison County commissioner gave to the Governor yesterday.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/local/3933913-county-funding-steals-spotlight-during-daugaard-visit-mitchell
Susan Wismer is one of the sharpest knives in this drawer. I am thinking hard about her caution.
If Susan is right, will debate over Russell’s proposal at least serve to flush out those who think we can raise teacher pay without new taxes and persuade some of them over to our (the Dems’? the Governor’s?) side?
Why wouldn’t all teachers get the same amount from the fund every month. Who determines how much each teacher gets and why? Is this just merit pay, a Republican organized teacher assault?
I’m still mad that the Deadwood gambling didn’t go to education, like they promised.
Mr. H, this Russell fellow is insaner than most. That you can’t see through his French Math at this early stage and don’t understand he will be dismissed by both the conservatives and libbies out-of-hand is telling. I’m just sayin…
Ms. Wismer is calling French Math on Mr. Russell. No doubt about it.
Mr. Lansing: Because the bad fatcat administrators who will be even madder that they don’t get any of this money will choose to have the good teachers get more than the average teachers, the fatcats will be right.
Teachers are teachers. They are already staggered in pay by seniority and degree. All money from the fund should be distributed equally. You’re just a turd Apple because you could never get along with anyone and would never be accepted in a union past the trial period. Them grapes are sour anyway, you old contrarian.
Socialist.
Mr. 96tears, you are indeed right. I don’t agree with Mr. Russell on anything except dumpster contracts but he is a most handsome man. I have to make it clear that I am more heterosexual than most, but that fellow has the sexiest squint I have ever seen.
People hire union workers because we possess a higher level of skill and professionalism. That alone would keep you from ever even being an apprentice at any trade, you old windbag. Hating a group that you could never hope to be included in is just another example of your invalidity of comment. PS… I love socialism. It’s very social, another skill you lack Pappy.
I never negotiated with unions. Got harder workers who whined less and weren’t sheep that way. Unions are dead.
If you never hired union workers where do you get validity in comparing them to your lesser labor? Unions are for the people. You’re just selfish.
Unions are dead.
The buyout to kill the heinous teacher union is $8,000 a head.
That is what Mr. Russell and his ilk are thinking.
Go to bed Gravy Belly and dream about your boy crush on Rep. Russell. lol :)
I shall be haunted by that squint for the next 4 hours. It makes my loins uncomfortable in an oddly indescribable way. It is uncomfortable. And odd. And I really can’t describe it.
I expect many of you feel the same.
Personally, I’m sick of the way Republican politicians all look the same. Like crooked morticians with phony minister smiles and cop shoes.
Was there an education component to the justification for Deadwood gambling? Or was that money dedicated to historic preservation in Deadwood?
I think the saying here “robbing from Peter to pay Paul” fits perfectly with this bill. This bill could as it is currently presented cause decreases in areas that are already struggling to provide their services. Things like the Game, Fish and Parks, SDSU Extension, State Library, Human Services (except for Developmental Center), Vo-Techs, etc.
These cuts will impact programs provided across the state that support youth programs and post secondary options. Most of these programs are still dealing with the last set of budget cuts in which the residents of South Dakota want the same level of services they provided pre 2010 but now must do with a much smaller resource pool.
Exactly, Madman. South Dakota Republican lawmakers are like a lazy father who sits on the couch watching sports. When his kids really need something, instead of making more money, he just takes from one kid and hands it to another kid and continues sitting on his ass gloating about all the money he’s saving by doing nothing to help.
The problem with all of these plans including D.D.’s is that they don’t get to the big problem. Its like we’ll raise some taxes here, but we will forgive some here, and if it generates more or less income what happens?
Daugaards plan has a piece in there where wind farm taxes generated locally (as well as other local development taxes), will be collected and dolled out evenly. But property taxes won’t be. So essentially this is a way to give Sioux Falls, Rapid City and larger school districts money, while hurting smaller rural districts.
Other things like the teacher ratio is a big ? mark I have is teacher ratio. No one who has paid attention in a school understands that this ratio is b.s. in most situations, I’m a teacher I have 30 in one class and 5 in another class? What is my teacher ratio? In high school its different than in elementary. If you have 5 in 4th grade, but 26 in 5th and 22 in 3rd you can’t just eliminate a position. Its not as easy as many think it is.
Essentially the plan needs to raise new funds, not transfer old funds, it also needs to set some requirements from the state, without forcing the hands of some school districts.
we own a bar with three machines, just a reminder the state takes 50% tax already on video lottery….highway robbery….. the bar makes a small 15k for my wife who works her ass off ….all year long 6 days a week… no medical….no retirement…..no benefits I’m ready to through the machines out after the smoking ban anyway…. we were in the red for three years just now starting to come around…. but 39K sounds way too low
Well liz may like 80 mph Gosch was it, is working hard wasting time on clocks? She’s termed out. We should get a Dem elected there perhaps??
Grudz are U a chain smoking boozer at the Vid Lotto To Finance Our Teachers? U R connected @ ddwd/lead so what happened to gambling for ED?
Highway robbery? Oh, I think not. You have it backwards, bar owner. The state isn’t taxing you 50% on your video lottery machines. The state is letting you collect taxes for them and keep 50% for yourself. I wish I could get a deal like that on my income tax.
Whatever your feeling about video lottery, note that Rep. Russell’s proposal here doesn’t affect the private sector’s share of video lottery. It just dedicates a big chunk of the state’s portion to K-12 education.
Ms. leslie, are you aware that video lottery is not most people’s game of choice in Deadwood? Why, when you can now roll the bones or play poker with Slick Jerry, would anybody play the beep-beep machines found anywhere. The pretty girls bring you a beer or house wine and you laugh at Jer and Chuck as you take their money.
“We are not going to be happy until the governor changes his ways,” Verchio concluded.
http://hillcityprevailernews.blogspot.com/2016/01/legislators-discuss-education-medicaid.html
Please don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. The Governor’s proposal is not perfect but there is no workable second option to fund K-12 public education at the level it needs to drastically improve teacher pay for our teachers. I hope legislators are not looking for an argument that will let them say no to the Governor’s proposal. Bottom line we need a workable solution this session.
So how did we vote on drug test for welfare. I have to do a drug test for my job to earn a living ,so why would people living off welfare be better than the ones working. Wish I could afford to eat and live like some of them.
(Cleo, you’re off-topic, but I’m happy to inform you that House health and Human Services killed this unconstitutional and non-cost-effective bill Thursday on 9–4 vote. This bill wasn’t about welfare recipients being better—or as you seem to wish, worse—than you. This was about the government having no compelling interest in conducting warrantless searches of a group of innocent citizens who have been found in other states to test positive for drug use at a lower rate than the rest of the population. Trust me, if you’re working a regular job and not qualifying for welfare, you’re living better than folks who have to turn to the state for assistance. In addition to having more money and liberty, you’re also not having to put up with unkind fellow citizens like yourself stigmatizing them for their misfortunes.)
Hear, hear Mr. Heidelberger. There’s no validity in SoDak testing those needing assistance just to help low self-esteemed Republicans feel better about their miserable lives when their lives are already better than those who need a little help once in a while usually due to conditions beyond their control. Hear, hear and well composed.
Along with Porter, my kudos to you Cory for an excellent response to Cleo’s comment.
Thanks, guys! I’m just trying to stick up for all South Dakotans. Mitakuye oyasin!