Lawmakers agree on school funding, teacher raises

By Chet Brokaw, The Associated Press | Saturday, March 01, 2008

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

PIERRE -- The state Legislature gave final approval Friday to a last-minute school-funding compromise that would supply extra state money to improve the paychecks of South Dakota teachers, who are the lowest paid in the nation.

The measure, favored by the Republican majority, would provide an extra $3 million to school districts next year, beyond the increase recommended by Gov. Mike Rounds.

Schools would have to use the extra money, the equivalent of $22.64 per student, to give teachers pay raises in excess of what they'd otherwise receive.

On party-line votes, the Senate approved SB187 on a 20-14 tally, and the House voted 50-20 for it.

Republicans said the proposal was the best they could do. Democrats said it does not do enough for schools.

The plan was worked out by Republican members of a committee seeking agreement between the House and Senate on education funding. All four GOP leaders endorsed the measure. Both Democratic leaders voted against it.

The Legislature worked Friday to pass the school funding bill and other special spending measures so the Joint Appropriations Committee could put the finishing touches on the $3.6 billion state budget.

The education aid legislation includes parts of several bills passed earlier by either the House or Senate.

It also would change financial incentives for consolidating school districts, set up a council to recommend changes in teachers' salaries and certification, and study ways of making science and math instruction relevant to students.

Rounds, a Republican, had recommended that state aid to school districts be raised by 2.5 percent, the rate of inflation. That's a smaller increase than in recent years because state tax collections are growing at a slower pace than usual, the governor said.

Rounds said his proposal would boost state aid by $22.7 million next year.

The Senate had earlier passed a bill by Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson that would have boosted school funding by an extra $7.5 million, which would have had to go to teachers' salaries.

But Knudson said Friday that the economic downturn and worries about state tax collections meant the increase had to be reduced to only 0.5 percent over the governor's recommendation.

"Legislation is always the art of the possible," the senator mused.

Senate Democratic Leader Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls said the measure falls short of the financial support schools need. No one from education groups or school districts supports studies required by the bill, he said.

"It micromanages local districts. It violates the notion of local control," Heidepriem said. "I'm sure what I want to happen. I want to invest in the kids and the educators and school districts of this state, but this move does not do that."

GOP leaders said the bill will not force local school districts to do anything.

House Republican Leader Larry Rhoden of Union Center said the measure focuses on ways of improving teachers' salaries. He said Senate and House Republicans have sought from the start of the legislative session to pass some version of Knudson's teacher-pay measure, depending on how much state money is available.

Studies required by the compromise between the two houses are aimed at raising teachers' paychecks, Rhoden said.

"We took steps this year to try and come up some innovative solutions to address specifically teachers' salaries," he said, referring to a measure passed by the House but rejected by the Senate.

"We've worked at areas to present excellence in teachers, to bring us off the bottom, to encourage local school districts to enhance teacher salaries," Rhoden said.

The failed House measure would have set a minimum teachers' salary of $30,000 in the 2011 school fiscal year. It also would have created a three-tiered system to pay teachers for their experience, progress in the classroom and success in getting advanced educational degrees. And it would have imposed requirements on teacher evaluations.

The compromise bill approved Friday would set up an advisory council to study many of the provisions of the failed House bill.

"We have excellent teachers in the state of South Dakota. We're looking for innovative ways to bring them off the bottom in teacher salaries," Rhoden added.

Rep. Larry Lucas, D-Mission, a retired teacher, said SB187 falls far short of the financial support school districts should get next year.

"It's certainly not enhancing education to the extent that our neighboring states have done," he said.

Lucas said South Dakota already has a teacher shortage, and it will only get worse in coming years unless the state provides much more money to school systems.