Two years after the Legislature took away an option that cushioned school revenues from a sudden loss of students, a few hardy legislators want to put that small cushion back.
House Bill 1135 would restore to the school funding formula a provision basing state aid on either the school district’s fall enrollment “or the average of the school district’s fall enrollment from the previous two years, whichever is greater.” Under that provision, a school experiencing declining enrollment gets a little extra time to adjust to lower student numbers and to ride out a one-year anomaly. If a big employer closes down in the summer and causes several families to leave a small district before the September 30 school headcount date, or if a school district just has one of those strange years between baby bubbles, a school may not find it feasible to lay off three teachers for one year, then hire them back all of a sudden when enrollment reverses the next year, or cut everyone’s pay and risk punishment under the other provisions of the Blue Ribbon funding reforms.
This cushion disappeared in the Sly Amendment to the school funding formula in 2016. Removing that cushion was a bad idea then, hurting small schools in particular and reducing overall the new money going to schools as we tried to raise teacher pay to the Blue Ribbon goals (which we still haven’t met and are abandoning in the Governor’s proposed budget). Restoring that cushion restores some fairness and practical sense to South Dakota’s school funding.
Yup. That provision was not a good idea in the Sly Amendment. As we said at the time, the entire effort in 2016 was only a beginning, and it would have to be followed up with more money and more changes. The Legislature appears incapable of sustained effort on anything except take away people’s rights.
Want to improve educational attainment? Want to improve STEM learning and retention?
A horribly failing school made 1 change and became a leading school. The student body is very poor. Most students and their families have English as a second language. 1 change. 1 change not supported by all the education “professionals”. But they tried everything else.
Mandate a weekly curriculum of 6 hours of music.
https://ideapod.com/derelict-school-becomes-national-leader-making-making-surprising-subject-compulsory
Standardized tests and scores are not in the best interest of the child.
Change the philosophy, change the attitude – then one is able to educate the child.
You go, Karen Whitney.
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2018/01/25/closing-gap-how-poor-rural-school-uses-culture-help-native-american-kids-learn/1045575001/