Retire-Rehire: Hassle for Staff, Strain on State Fund

Just a quick take on the retire-rehire issue: I can think of only two downsides to Vince Schaefer, Mark Greguson, et al. quitting and trying to re-up mid-school year.

On the local level, we have some paperwork and practical confusion. Schaefer and Greguson have had to step down and clear out their offices. The Madison and Chester school districts have had to farm out their superintendent duties to other staff for the few-week interim... and I'm betting they aren't getting any extra pay ("extra duties as assigned"—same clause that gets teachers taking tickets at ball games for free). Schaefer and Greguson are creating some extra work for their colleagues, just so they can collect some more money.

On the state level, retire-rehire would seem to put a little more strain on the retirement fund. Schaefer and Greguson would draw on this same fund eventually; retire-rehire just means they start drawing sooner. Of course, if rehired, they'll still be paying back into the system. And by retiring early, their monthly benefit check will be less than if they stayed in and racked up a couple more years of higher salary and contributions.

Rehiring Schaefer and Greguson won't cost their own districts any money. Madison and Chester might even save by negotiating lower salaries with their rehires. But that lower salary comes at the expense of a subsidy from the state retirement system—not exactly a kosher Republican position.

In the big picture, I do have some difficulty figuring out a justification for the retire-rehire policy. It might make sense if we were talking about jobs for which we were having trouble finding qualified candidates. If there were a teacher shortage, we might well need to rehire some teachers who would do us a Favre and support the district with an encore performance. But the Madison school district received applications from four other candidates besides Schaefer (and will be interviewing at least some of them tonight and Thursday) for the super job. I can't say if those other four are qualified, but we at least have options.

So what do you think? Is retire-rehire mostly a no-harm no-foul way for veteran educators to get a little more well-deserved reward, or is it a drag on our school and state resources?

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By the way, the retirement rules say that, to allow Schaefer to reap the benefits of retire-rehire, his termination must be complete in every way: no stuff left in the office, all insurance policies completely terminated, no informal agreements or duties carrying on through the interim. This is a small thing, but the school district might want to take Schaefer's name off the superintendent page, just to make clear that the termination is really a termination.

Ditto Chester's website:

Top Ten Stories of 2010: A Madville Times Wishlist (Part I)

Senator Snowe doesn't want to dwell on history, so why not look ahead with hope and aspiration? Here are the top ten stories of 2010. Don't confuse these headlines with predictions—in three previous tries, I have yet to pick a winner... although that's never stopped me before! These are just the ten best stories I hope I'll get to report on the Madville Times in the bright, bouncy new year.

1

Highway 34 Four-Lane Campaign Buys Masons' Building: "Build it and they will come," said campaign organizer John Goeman of Four for the Future members' decision to buy the Madison landmark. "We're sick of begging for federal money to build more road to Madison. We're going build something to give people a reason to come to Madison." Goeman and his colleagues have formed a non-profit corporation and hired local carpenters and artists to turn the old Masonic temple into a cooperative coffee house, gallery, meeting hall, and movie theater.

2

TSA Officers Work Naked: "I wasn't trying to start a revolution," said Chicago airport security agent Ralph Jablonski. "I just tell this lady to step into the body scanner, and she says, 'You show me yours and I'll show you mine.' So I says o.k., I drop my pants, and the lady steps right into the scanner, no questions asked. Pretty soon everybody in the airport's droppin' their drawers." Jablonski's initiative was so effective at improving customer satisfaction and trust, President Obama soon mandated nudity for all TSA staff. This new government transparency has inspired passengers to fly naked and made security a breeze.

3

Fahrenwald Named MadChestRut Superintendent: Following the resignations of their superintendents, Madison and Chester school districts both realized they could get along without a superintendent. "We farmed out duties to the principals and business manager, and no one noticed a difference," said Madison board president Jay Niedert. Madison and Chester then pursued further cost savings by taking up an offer from the Rutland school district: the two school districts dissolved and merged with the Rutland School District. Rutland Superintendent Carl Fahrenwald will run the new district, which spans three-quarters of Lake County. Madison residents responded with cautious approval: "Maybe now we'll win some football games," said former coach Tom Milne.

4

Jason Bjorklund Places Third in County Commission Race: Local 9-12 Project activist Jason Bjorklund came within two votes of winning a Lake County Commission seat in the November 2 election. Bjorklund's third-place finish was the closest any Glenn Beck/Tea Party candidate came to actually winning elected office on any South Dakota ballot. "I love politics!" said Bjorklund, vowing to run again. "I just need to keep improving my public speaking skills. I also need to remember that real county politics are about fixing roads and hiring good cops, not banning the Federal Reserve and preaching Natural Law."

5

Heidepriem Names Munsterman Economic Development Czar: After a literally bruising gubernatorial race that saw primary season fistfights and independent challengers splintering the state Republican Party, Governor-Elect Scott Heidepriem announced the olive-branch appointment of his main challenger, Scott Munsterman, as state economic development czar. "Scott knows South Dakota's future depends on promoting growth through cooperation in our rural communities," said Heidepriem. "Plus, the economic portfolio will keep Scott away from his nutty fundagelical friends in the all-abortion-all-the-time crowd."

...read on: here's the second half of the Top Ten Stories of 2010!

Marching in Madison: South Dakota Bands at DSU Homecoming Parade

It's a busy band day in South Dakota! Area bands, led by the mighty Spirit of Madison Marching Band, kicked off a big day of music by marching up Madison's Main Street in the Dakota State University Trojan Days homecoming parade.

Madison Bulldogs


Chester Flyers


Arlington Cardinals


Flandreau Public Fliers (thanks, Matt!)


Deuel Cardinals


Madison Middle School

Director Luke Sursely has these kids whipped into shape!

Montrose Irish

Director Justin Whitcomb is a Madison band alumnus. Looking sharp!

Dell Rapids St. Mary Cardinals

The Dell Rapids corps was marching right behind the Dennis Daugaard for Governor campaign vehicle, the only political entrant in today's parade. The Munsterman campaign must have been too busy making up better ad hominem attacks. Isn't there some old campaign saw about catching more votes throwing candy than throwing mud?

Oldham-Ramona-Rutland Raiders

We've been waiting for some cowbell! (Sorry about the battery, kids!)

Howard Tigers