shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com December 4, 2018 • Page 7 Making Progress On Teacher Pay By Gov. Dennis Daugaard As I enter my final weeks as governor, many people are asking me to reflect on my time in office. I’m not a person who worries much about a “legacy.” I just hope that I have left things a little better than I found them. It is hard, though, not to reminisce about the events of the last eight years. One memory of which I’m very proud is the progress we made on teacher pay. It certainly didn’t look like this would be possible when I came into office in 2011. At that time, South Dakota was still feeling the effects of the Great Recession. For two years, federal stimulus funds had delayed the need for budget cuts. As I took office, though, those funds had reached their end, and my first budget proposal included ten percent cuts. In the end, a mechanism was found to ease the K-12 education cut to about eight percent. Despite funding challenges, I knew that our state needed to do more to attract and retain good classroom teachers. In 2012, I announced the “Investing in Teachers” initiative, which became known as “House Bill 1234.” This proposal included merit-based bonuses for top teachers, along with pay incentives for teachers in high-need fields like mathematics and science. The plan proved to be controversial. Some educators were concerned about how they would be evaluated, They didn’t want to pit teachers against each other. They also felt that it wasn’t well-funded enough to have an impact. In the end, the plan narrowly passed the State Legislature, but was referred to the general election ballot and defeated. I learned a valuable lesson from House Bill 1234. Although my intentions were good, I didn’t do enough to reach out and build support. To most South Dakotans, the announcement in my State of the State Address was a surprise. A surprise can make for good drama, but it isn’t always the recipe for success. Following my reelection in 2014, I decided to try again. I was hearing from educators that the shortage of teachers was reaching a critical point. South Dakota had been last in the nation in teacher pay for decades – since the mid-1980s – and we were falling further behind. As the Baby Boomer generation retired, many vacancies were failing to attract a qualified applicant. In 2015, I convened the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teachers and Students. My charge to the task force was to seek public input, analyze the data, define conditions, and offer solutions. Nothing should be taken off the table. The task force included legislators, state officials, educators, and taxpayers. Task force members received input from thousands of South Dakotans, and delved into the issue at several public meetings. In the end, the task force issued a report that called for several changes to the school funding formula. The changes made the formula more favorable to small school districts and more equitable across all districts. It also protected property taxpayers from runaway increases in capital outlay tax levies. The report also called for a sizable funding increase for K-12 schools, to be targeted at teacher salaries. Based on that report, I decided to propose a half-cent increase Pennington County Resident South Dakota’s First Flu Death Of Season PIERRE, S.D. – A Pennington County resident in the 60-69 age group is South Dakota’s first influenza death of the 2018–2019 season, the Department of Health reported today. To protect patient confidentiality, additional inforin the state sales tax to fund the pro- mation about the deceased is not being released. posal. I knew this would be contro“Our sympathy is with the family. Their loss serves as versial, and I respected the fact that a reminder to us all that influenza can be a very serious some would not be able to support illness,” said Dr. Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist for a tax increase. I believed, however, the department. “It is not too late to get vaccinated for that the state had reached a point of this flu season, and if you haven’t yet received your anno return – this was a problem we nual flu vaccination, the time to do so is now.” had to solve. Clayton noted that flu activity in South Dakota is The Blue Ribbon package of bills currently classified as sporadic. To date, the state has passed the legislature with biparreported 35 lab-confirmed cases of flu and 8 flu-related tisan, two-thirds majority support, hospitalizations. and I signed them into law. SignifiEach year, an average of 33 South Dakotan deaths are cant salary increases first took effect reported to the Department of Health following influenza for the 2016-17 school year, and we infections. To protect against flu complications, annual made great progress. In one year, flu vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 salaries had increased by an average months and older. Groups like pregnant women, children of 8.8 percent. The Blue Ribbon younger than 5 years, people over 65 years and people legislation had set a target average with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for salary of $48,500, and in one year we flu-related complications, such as pneumonia, hospitalihad moved more than halfway tozation, and death. Healthcare workers and household ward that goal. Some small districts contacts of high-risk populations, such as those with enjoyed the largest increases – Wall, young infants, should also be vaccinated. Gayville-Volin and Mobridge-Pollock Influenza is a viral infection spread by respiratory all increased salaries by more than droplets released when an infected person coughs or 20 percent, and Leola increased sneezes. Common signs and symptoms of the flu include nearly 30 percent. fever of 100 degrees or greater, cough, sore throat, headIt has been three years since the ache, fatigue, body or muscle aches, and runny or stuffy Blue Ribbon Task Force met, and this nose. summer a review board met to conIn addition to vaccination, to prevent the spread of the sider our progress. They found that, flu: for the first time in more than 30 •Wash your hands often with soap and water or use years, South Dakota is not last in the alcohol-based hand gel; nation in average teacher salaries. •Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze; They also heard from superinten•Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; and, dents that, although some positions •Stay home if you are sick. are still hard to fill, we are seeing Learn more at http://flu.sd.gov. more qualified applicants and fewer positions remain vacant. M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y We still have work to do – education funding should always be a major topic of debate – but I am proud of the progress we have made. We need good teachers to prepare our young people for the future, and we’ve sent a message that we value the important work that they do. MV Shopper CLASSIFIEDS IN PRINT & ONLINE To place your ad call... 605.665.5884 Gov. Daugaard Awards 10 Community Development Block Grants Save $30 on a Summer AC Tune-Up! PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard has - The city of Box Elder will use a $770,000 awarded more than $5.6 million in Commugrant to assist with improvements to its water nity Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds distribution system. to 10 projects throughout South Dakota. Box - The city of Bridgewater was approved for a Just give us Bridgewater, Frederick, Lead, Montrose, Elder, a call and we’ll $765,000 grant for improvements in wastewater Pierpont, Springfield, infrastructure and storm sewer systems. send out a qualified Tulare and Yankton will use the approved monies to help fund projects - The city of Frederick was approved for a Servicetotaling more than $17.1 million. Technician like $770,000 grant to assist with improvements to “The one of our the wastewater system. Tyler, to makeCDBG program remainsprograms,” sure your finest community development - The city of Lead will use a $519,500 grant AC unitsaidready for those taking office in 2011, to assist with improvements to the city’s water, is Gov. Daugaard. “Since we’ve allocated more than $38.5 million in wastewater and storm sewer infrastructure. hot summer SouthSouth Dakota communities and CDBG funds to Dakota - The city of Montrose will use a $151,500 Tyler Reiser organizations to help fund projects that greatly grant to assist in the construction of a new days and savethe quality of life for their residents. $30!* Service Technician 75,000-gallon ground water storage reservoir. improve From water, wastewater and storm sewerexperience - The city of Pierpont was approved for a 13 years infrastructure projects, to fire halls, Boys & Girls $618,000 grant that will assist with improveClubs, senior centers and domestic violence ments to its wastewater system. shelters, the CDBG program has helped count- The city of Springfield was approved for less South Dakotans and that’s something we a $770,000 grant that will assist with improvecan feel good about.” ments to the city’s wastewater system. The CDBG awards include the following: - The city of Tulare will use a $760,484.17 grant to assist with improvements to its water For more information about the CDBG distribution system. program and other financing programs offered - The city of Yankton was approved for two through the GOED, please visit sdreadytowork. CDBG grants; one for $366,500 to help address com/CDBG. the urgent need for a new 12-inch water main created by recent flooding. The second grant was for $205,000 to assist with CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) workforce MOTOR training needs in the community. NIOBRARA, NE CDBG program provides local governments with funding to ATRICK AWK complete projects that improve 251 Spruce Ave • Box 260 living conditions. The CDBG Niobrara, NE 68760 program is funded through the U.S. www.moodymotor.com Department of Housing and Urban pjhawk@hotmail.com Development and administered by (402) 857-3711 the Governor’s Office of Economic (800) 745-5650 Fax (402) 857-3713 Development. 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