At his State of the State Address (Jan. 12), Gov. Dennis Daugaard unveiled a historic proposal to put more than $80 million, most of which would be generated a sales tax increase, towards improving teacher salaries in order to solve the teacher shortage plaguing South Dakota’s school districts.

 

ASBSD is supporting Gov. Daugaard’s proposal.

 

The proposal includes a reform to the state’s K-12 funding formula, which would be based on a target student-to-teacher ratio determined by a district’s enrollment, with less than 200 students at 12.5 to 1, 200 to 600 fluctuating between 12.5 through 15 to 1 and more than 600 set at 15 to 1.

 

Read about the details of the plan here.

 

The Governor’s office has produced a spreadsheet that provides the new formula calculation and a district-by-district breakdown based on the elements of the formula only – it does not include fund balance, other revenue, capital outlay or pension fund dollars.

 

The spreadsheet can be downloaded here or found on our Publications & Forms page under the “Legislative Session Documents” heading.

 

As with any proposal of this magnitude there are many moving pieces, which can obviously change prior to the end of session, and ASBSD will continue to examine and share information on them with our members.

 

“Going forward with this proposal we will stay vigilant to its effect or any potential changes’ effect on our districts, but we need focus on the main part: the new, ongoing revenue source that will provide schools with much needed dollars for teachers,” ASBSD Executive Director Wade Pogany said.

 

For updates on legislative session check our ASBSD Blog, Twitter feed and Bill Tracker page.