Once again, we have experienced the arrogant, pompous attitude of the Republican majority in our South Dakota Legislature and that of our governor. Early in the 2015 legislative session, an attempt was made to restrict the will of the voters by requiring double the signatures to place an issue on a ballot. Since, a bill has been passed and signed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard to change the minimum wage law passed by voters. Daugaard used the pretense that the law did not apply to those under 18 years of age, although I saw no such wording when I voted for the increase. It tells what we voters are actually worth to our legislators and governor and another reason that our S.D. government has been labeled as one of the most corrupt in the nation. It would be beneficial to our state if our elected majority could find some path to justice rather than to simply flaunt its arrogance. [excerpt, Victor H. Sanderson]More than 80 instructional support positions in math and reading are being cut in Rapid City schools.
The monies allocated to South Dakota’s colleges and universities were supposed to come from the interest earned on the $1.5 million added to the state’s Education Enhancement Trust Fund. However, the interest earned was not enough to fund the amount needed to award financial aid. “It is not very much money,” President James Abbott said. “It’s supposed to encompass the students in the entire state, and it’s just the interest on that money.” Abbott also believes there is not enough money for needs-based financial aid. “The fact is, it’s a drop in the bucket of financial need for students,” he said. [USD Volante]South Dakota's executive doesn't need the legislature's rubber stamp to expand the Medicaid partnerships that would retain teachers and workers.
Federal grants of $270,000 will go toward six South Dakota projects geared toward improving science and mathematics instruction in middle and high schools. [Yankton Press & Dakotan]More evidence of Gov. Dennis Daugaard's tyranny: a third of qualified teaching grads leave South Dakota while the remainder struggle with certification.
So, don’t hold your breath parents, teachers and employers. The “great teachers” Daugaard predicts for South Dakota probably won’t be flooding our school districts with applications. South Dakota Republican governors and legislators in the past 12 years haven’t solved the funding problem. T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Hollow Men” has a line for that kind of paralysis: “Gesture without motion.” [David Walder]A concerned or trustworthy US Representative would call out a failed executive like Daugaard.
South Dakota deserves better.
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