By Kacie Svoboda
The 38-day 2016 state legislature reconvened on Tuesday, Jan 12. One of the main agenda items will be to restructure education funding in order to raise teacher pay. This issue was pushed to the forefront of state politics by the recommendations released by the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Teachers and Students (BRTF) — a 26-member board comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers and businesses.
In February 2015, Gov. Dennis Daugaard created the BRTF to reevaluate the funding formula for schools, understand where teacher shortages are occurring and determine what can be done to address them. In November, the BRTF submitted its 29 consensus recommendations and three additional proposals, which were not fully in consensus.
A major tenant of the BRTF plan is adding at least $75 million in ongoing revenue to the education budget. These additional funds would be used to boost the average teacher salary in the state from $40,000 to $48,000. South Dakota ranks last in teacher pay across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The task force recommended a statewide one-cent sales tax hike in order to accrue this funding. Though there are other contributing factors, salary plays a critical part in teacher turnover in South Dakota. The legislative action could have a huge impact on the school district as Hill City Schools’ base pay is just under $35,000 and 20 percent of its teachers are up for retirement through the rule of 85 requirement.
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