This was one of those weeks during which I didn’t see our dog from Sunday morning until late Friday night. When I finally crawled out of the truck after three days in Pierre and two at French Creek Horse camp, where the showers didn’t work the previous night, I think he was probably happier to see my husband than me.
Monday’s committee meeting on education funding was a morning filled with testimony from school superintendents across the state. Each testified as to the financial situation of his or her respective school district. We heard over and over of the lack of well qualified applicants for teaching positions. As of August 1, there were over 200 openings for certified staff statewide. Also discussed were the tremendous cuts in everything from sports programs to electives to support staff to increased class sizes and declining test scores.
The inequity issue was brought to light by Superintendent Holbeck of Harrisburg. Some districts have lots and lots of other revenue—wind farm tax, bank franchise tax, and other tax income—while others have none. Tax opt outs, the use of capital outlay money for general fund expenditures, and the inequity in those two areas was explained to the committee.
We had been asked to submit suggestions for what the committee should recommend with what we had heard in previous meetings. It was very frustrating in that of the approximately thirty suggestions, only four or five dealt with what the schools were begging for: fund the formula. We have to quit micro-managing the schools. Give the money to the experts, and let them use it as they see fit.
I did submit two very good suggestions which will be discussed next time. The first is to increase the education funding by 4% each year until 2018 when the capital outlay option sunsets or when the formula is changed to address individual district issues such as poverty, buses, and other revenue income. This would eventually get the funding to where it would have been if the formula had been funded according to state law.
I also suggested establishing a task force to study and change the funding formula to that it serves all districts adequately. The consensus is that task forces really don’t work, but I’m the eternal optimist and would ask that good, strong people, both in the education field and the business field, be members of the task force— a committee that would ignore the politics and do an honest, down-to-earth analysis of education, how much it takes to educate a students, and how to get that amount of money to schools so they can do their jobs. How far will my suggestions get? That’s the multi-million dollar, what are your priorities question.
Tuesday I spent time with DENR staff discussing water pollution and CAFO applications. They are very good people but regulation is not their thing. That’s another article in itself.
Wednesday was e-board, which was not a very nice meeting. We heard the results of an evaluation of the Legislative Research Council which led to the forced resignation of Jim Fry, long time LRC director. Lots of time spent behind closed doors, discussing.
The buffalo roundup was great. Buster, my big sorrel gelding, did an outstanding job of doing what he was supposed to do: chase buffalo and keep me safe.
As I thought about my week, I compared my committee meetings to chasing the buffalo. The fifty horseback riders in the roundup are put into three groups and given their own areas to cover as are the legislative committees-education, local government, ag, etc. Thrown into the mix are two dozen vehicles for park personnel, media, and others. These would be the other legislators and government people. Most of these listen and watch and do their job. Others, such as the driver of the green pickup who caused buffalo to go where they weren’t supposed to go when he did things his way instead of listening, make it hard for committed legislators to get things going in the right direction.
I am heading to California this to pick up inventory for my daughter’s new venture, an on-line business. Please wish her well. She’s one of those who chose to stay in South Dakota and loves Sioux Falls. Her husband teaches, but is telling our granddaughter not to go that route. I wonder why.
Have a great week and keep in touch.
Take care.
Rep. Kathy Tyler
605.237.0228
Kathy's Corner 