Continuing contract bill discontinued

By a single vote (4-3), the Senate Education committee deferred to the 41^st day a bill that allowed school districts to opt out of continuing contract requirements for teachers and establish contract provisions for the teachers the district employs that are in the best interest of the school district.

Senate Bill 187’s sponsor, Sen. Al Novstrup (3), said the decision to provide teachers with continuing contract rights should be the decision of school districts and the bill provided local control for school districts to “have the authority to make that decision.”

SB 187 resurrected a piece of last year’s education reform package, House Bill 1234, which was passed by the legislature but repealed by voters in November.

“It is too soon,” Sen. Mark Johnston (12) said, adding he had concerns about mending a relationship with teachers. “I hope we can put this issue to bed… and continue to lift up this great profession.”

Charter School bill chopped

Senate Bill 202, which would have allowed pilot programs for up to five charter schools to be placed on American Indian reservation land, was tabled by the committee. The lengthy bill permitted the creation of a public charter school or conversion of a public school into a public charter school and exempted the charter school from all statutes and rules relating to schools, school boards, and school districts.

Data reporting bill advanced

Committee members unanimously passed Senate Bill 138.

In its current version, SB 138 would require school districts seeking state accreditation to submit information on budgets, programs, staff or other requested data to the Department of Education. Bill sponsor, Sen. Timothy Rave (25) alluded to possible changes to the bill on the Senate floor, if needed.

“It’s just a vehicle bill,” Rave said. “With some of the ideas that are floating around out there, I think it could be useful.”

ASBSD will continue to monitor the bills progress. For updates, check the ASBSD blog or bill tracker.

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South Dakota lawmakers will consider eliminating continuing contract rights and due process rights for all teachers, according to legislation filed in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

House Bill 1145 would apply to veteran teachers the same non-renewal procedures that currently apply only to teachers with less than four years of service. If passed, school districts would be able to dismiss any teacher without providing justification and the teacher would no longer have the right to contest the dismissal at a school board hearing.

The measure leaves intact laws that require just cause and due process for terminating a contract. State law currently makes a distinction between termination and nonrenewal. Termination voids the contract during the term of the contract, while non-renewal refers to severing employment prior to the next contract year.

The measure is sponsored by Rep Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, and Sen. Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has also proposed modifying continuing contract laws, but the governor’s measure has not yet been made public. The governor has said he will propose the elimination of continuing contract rights for new teachers only, and that staff currently afforded due process and continuing contract would not lose it.

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