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South Dakota and Wyoming are having opposite experiences in teacher recruitment. South Dakota remains mired at 51st in the nation for teacher pay. The number of applicants for teaching jobs at many South Dakota schools is declining. (I think the number who applied for a math/computer position at Madison High School this spring can be counted on one hand.)
Meanwhile, Wyoming has raised its teacher pay from the bottom quartile to the top quartile nationally. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride says that "Where schools once got one or two applications for a teaching job, they now get 30" [Joan Barron, "State's Investment Portfolio Nearly $11B," Casper Star-Tribune Online, 2008.07.25].
Simple economics: Offer more pay, you get a bigger pool of applicants to choose from. The bigger the pool, the more chance you have of landing a top-notch teacher. It's just like in high school sports: there's nothing saying a Class B student can't be the fastest runner in the state, but the Class AA schools have a bigger pool of runners to choose from and are statistically more likely to field faster runners. (See pages 10 and 14 of this year's Girls State Track results [PDF]: Class AA athletes won gold medals in 17 of the 19 events, and Class AA athletes hold all but one girls state track record.)
Rather than whining that we don't have oil and coal to boost revenues as Wyoming does, and rather than continuing to base our hiring on luck and hope, South Dakota needs to follow simpe market sensibility: top pay draws top talent. Let's compete with our neighbors, all of whom put more value on education than we do. Let's aim for that top quartile... or heck, just the top of the bottom quartile.
Say it with me kids: ¡SÃ, se puede!
Hide Fido (by Andy Horowitz)
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I coined Noem as the ‘Palin of South Dakota’ when she ran for the state
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11 hours ago
The fact is, Cory, that we DON'T have the coal/oil resources to draw from to fund education. You can't get around that.
ReplyDeleteAnd also, Wyoming only funds ONE, count it, ONE, university, and that's in Laramie. I would say that if SD would decide to fund only one college and put it in Pierre right in the middle of the state, or just leave one university and that would be in Brookings, that we would have a lot more state money to invest in K-12 too. Let's start from that angle.
Do you know what the budget in WY is for K-12 education and also what it is for the university in Laramie, compared to what SD spends total on education and broken down by university/college vs K-12? That would be an interesting figure too.
Nonnie
Also, is Laramie a division I or II school? That affects the amount of money spent on university education too.
ReplyDeleteNonnie
Good morning, Nonnie!
ReplyDeleteUWyo is D-IA.
Sure, we don't have coal or oil. But the proper response to any challenge is not to stop at "Well, we can't do this, this, and this." We need to move on and say, "But we can do this!" (You know me, always trying to be positive. ;-) )
You suggest university consolidation, and that's one possible solution (it's against my immedite economic interests, but I can't deny it's a policy option we have to think about). We also have wind power, hydropower, biofuel, lakes, tourism, and tech we can build on. Plus, a little tax reform wouldn't hurt.
The big point is, we'll have to do something if we want to keep our schools well-staffed. We've been lucky, but if Wyoming can draw 30 applicants for a teaching job while Madison can hardly get five, our luck is going to run out. We need policy solutions, not excuses, wishes, or happy talk.
I agree that we need to pay our teachers more, but they aren't nearly as underpaid compared to the rest of the jobs in SD. When ranked that way, we are not 51st.
ReplyDeleteBut we have to recognize the reason that WY can pay more, and it IT oil.
I would be all for a bed and booze tax dedicated to education. Other states have it, and when we travel we grumble about the high tax on a motel room, but we pay it, we have no choice, and it really doesn't amount to that much per room. But it adds up when compounded over a tourist season, and that a lot of that income would be money people from our own state wouldn't necessarily have to dig out of our own pockets.
I would also favor a nickel tax on a bottle and can of pop/soda. Other states do it to encourage recycling, IA for instance. It is possible and must not be a huge thing to implement. This extra money could be dedicated entirely to education. Collect it in a separate account throughout the year and dole it out once or twice yearly to the school districts on a strictly per student basis, no formula, no fancy-dancy higher to some and lesser to some schools, just per student. The school district could take this once/twice yearly money and dedicate it entirely to teacher bonuses on a per head basis. Don't worry about length of service, good/bad teachers, just per teacher. And the amount would vary from time to time, but what's the difference if it's just used as bonuses for teachers each time. There are other sin taxes, and this is one I'd pay, but it would work and would bring in quite a bit of money.
There are ways to accomplish this.
But I would first demand that schools cut money from the administrative and athletic director departments. There is way too much money IMO spent on these two parts of education to the detriment of academics. What's the first thing cut when school districts cut?? Gifted programs! Target a sport? Heaven forbid!
Nonnie
I don't think it matters how teacher pay relates to other wages... and most importantly, the working conditions for teachers here are worsening because of our broken school funding formula, in addition to teachers having to help work the problems created by our generally low wages!
ReplyDeleteHow about using the interest on our invested funds dedicated for that purpose? No taxes raised, and we keep our principal.
WHY did the House and Senate reject even a modest move in this direction last year?
I'm sorry, the State Senate had the bipartisan education funding deal done, the (very Republican) House and the Gov nixed the deal.
ReplyDeleteActually, it does make a difference in how teacher pay relates to other wages. The professions my kids are in both pay much better out of state than they do in state. One is in state because she likes it here even if she doesn't earn as much. The other is out of state now but does plan to return. We have a lower cost of living here, but IMO a higher quality of living than many other places cited with the highest wages across the board.
ReplyDeleteI'm not arguing that some teachers are underpaid. Actually, some are overpaid. And if you figure days worked compared to the average worker, their salaries are higher than it looks. Sorry, Cory, I know you are a teacher and respect you for that, and I know that teachers put in some extra hours, but it still doesn't equate to a job that is 52 weeks a year with maybe only one week of paid vacation.
Also, maybe they need to look at the way the union or whatever figures what teachers are paid. My in-law has a masters, is taking off a year or so to care for a son with medical issues, and when she wants to go back to work says she will have a hard time getting a job because the district will have to pay her a certain wage based on her education/years teaching but would go with a person they wouldn't have to pay so much. In other words, even if she were willing to accept less pay and go back to work, she couldn't do it because the school district is mandated to pay her a certain higher wage. I heard the same story from a teacher in Madison several years ago that couldn't get back into the school system for the same reason, and this was a good teacher.
I guess I'm rambling, but just some other thoughts on the issue.
Nonnie