We've moved!
DakotaFreePress.com!

Social Icons

twitterfacebooklinkedinrss feed

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Local Supers Cool to Rounds K-12 5% Cut

The Madison Daily Leader gets three of our local superintendents on the record about Governor Rounds's proposed 5% cut to state aid for K-12 education. They don't sound happy, but they aren't jumping off any grain elevators yet. They list the cuts we'd face under the governor's plan to lower aid by $240 per student (with adjustments for the small-school formula):
Madison superintendent Vince Schaefer refers to the proposed education hacking as "just talk." He seems to be thinking along the same lines as legislative leaders who are waiting to see what revised budget Governor-Elect Daugaard will submit once he takes office.

Superintendents John Bjorkman from Oldham-Ramona and Dr. Carl Fahrenwald from Rutland both make the point that there isn't any fat left in their budgets. They've already been cutting academic muscle, eliminating programs like FFA and consumer sciences. Anyone who fantasizes that cutting K-12 funding 5% is just getting rid of darned gum'mint waste needs to visit these superintendents.

Update 08:55 CST: John Nelson juxtaposes the proposed cuts to education with news that kids in Shanghai are kicking our cans on math, science, and reading scores.

3 comments:

  1. Fred Deutsch12/08/2010 8:54 AM

    Watertown looses approx $912,000 under current proposal.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cory,
    As a state without an income tax and the lowest paid teachers in the nation, how do you propose we increase these funds? Our school's funding seems to be cut or not increased every year. How do we catch up to the neighbors?
    Erika

    ReplyDelete
  3. "As a state without an income tax"—that may be the main thing that has to change, Erika. Our economy has grown throughout the national recession, but our tax system is failing to access that growing wealth. In other words, someone's not paying their fair share of the cost of doing society.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are closed, as this portion of the Madville Times is in archive mode. You can join the discussion of current issues at MadvilleTimes.com.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.