Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Contact: Michael Ewald, Communications Director, (605) 271-5405, press@sddp.org
South Dakota Democratic Party leaders announce education plan
Pierre, SD (January 12, 2016)-
South Dakota Democrats announced their plan to take bold and innovative action to address teacher pay in response to Governor Dennis Daugaard’s State of the State Address today.
Democrats’ plan includes proposals to increase average teacher salary in South Dakota to $50,000— a rate competitive with our neighbor states— using an equitable and sustainable funding source while maintaining the current student-to-teacher ratio to prevent teacher cuts.
Critical of the Blue Ribbon Task Force and Governor’s proposals that would still leave South Dakota educators’ pay last in the region, South Dakota Senate Minority Leader Billie Sutton said, “We must demonstrate our commitment to students and their education with action. It is the Legislature’s task to be bold, do something meaningful, and do it now.”
“It is not enough to walk in place. The steps we take to address teacher pay must move us meaningfully forward,” said South Dakota House of Representatives Minority Leader Spencer Hawley.
Democrats are skeptical of increasing the student-to-teacher ratio, as proposed by the Governor, because doing so could affect class size and require schools to lay off teachers. Suzanne Jones Pranger, Executive Director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said, “Governor Daugaard’s proposal would force the unnecessary choice between raising teacher pay and retaining the teachers we have.”
“The public wants to increase compensation for our educators, not fire teachers. Governor Daugaard’s plan means losing 400 teachers across South Dakota,” Ann Tornberg responded when discussing the Governor’s proposal.
Democrats also discussed their support of Medicaid expansion and solutions to improve corruption and conflicts of interest in the state.
For the full education report, click here.
###