Legislative Column by Senator Chuck Welke • In week two of the SD Legislature we are now well into committee work and into action on some bills and resolutions. In addition to our regular committee meetings, and each day’s general session on the floor, there have been special briefings on the School Funding Formula, Property Tax Issues, Pine Beetle Infestation, and Animal Abuse. • We did discuss and vote on a couple of resolutions from the Educational Funding Formula Summer Study. HCR 1001 stressed the importance of schools working together and sharing their talents and resources. It passed easily. HCR 1002 emphasized what we saw and heard throughout the summer. As we travelled to various areas of the state we heard from schools of all areas and sizes about the shortage of teachers. We heard of schools that have had teachers leave their schools to take jobs in the private sector or leave the state. We heard of the lack of teacher candidates entering into teacher preparation programs at universities. We also talked about the coming retirements of the” baby boomers”. It was a simple resolution. One that recognized this shortage and also paid tribute to our teachers and the great job they do in SD. It also emphasized just how important our teachers are to the future of our great state. I was shocked that it did not pass in the Senate. It failed by a 15-19 vote after having passed overwhelmingly in the House with a bipartisan vote. We felt that the least we could do was recognize that we have an issue and then make a plan to deal with it. The vote against HCR 1002 was a vote to continue to ignore a growing problem that will become a crisis if we don’t do something soon. One of our bills from that Summer Study is coming next week. It will ask that we raise financial aid to education by 3.8% so we can return to the level we were funding education five years ago. It is hard for me to accept that we cannot at least make that commitment. Our local schools need help now! • The Joint Appropriations Committee has been hearing an extensive briefing from the SD Department of Education and all legislators are interested in the issues of education assessment and work-force readiness. Providing adequate funds to ensure a quality public education has always been the highest priority of the Democratic Caucus. An extensive report from the four Technical Institutes reminded legislators of the vital importance of these schools to our workforce development. • Simply put, there are not enough skilled workers in SD. Some of the reasons cited for this include our aging population and declining number of young post-secondary grads in their twenties. The population centers are growing on the far east and far west sides of the state with small towns in the vast center. But to those of us who live in the vast rural areas of the state, these are not simply “fly-over” or “drive-through” spots on the map. This is our home and if our state is to prosper, these hundreds of small towns must prosper too. • Make no mistake; other states want our students and our quality labor force. The Tech School Administrators testifying before the Joint Appropriations Committee reminded us that there has been increased recruitment of SD high school students by surrounding states. These states have dramatically increased their marketing and recruitment of our students. Many surrounding states have lower education costs; and once in other states, students find internships or employment and don’t return to SD. • Our four Technical Schools in Watertown, Mitchell, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls could help provide real solutions to skilled workforce shortages, but not if we continue to pay less and expect more. The PSA (per student allocation) for Technical Institutes has decreased by 32% from FY09 to FY13. Factoring in the annual inflation factor and the drop is even more dramatic; a 38% decline in the PSA since 2009. This has put an increased burden on students to fund their own education. Among our 7 neighboring states (IA, MN, MT, NE, ND, SD, & WY) SD ranks last among the seven states in the percentage of state and local aid we provide for our students. (SD provides 28%; Minnesota provides 33%; Iowa = 35%; Montana = 35%; ND = 34%; Wyoming = 58%; and Nebraska = 59%). • To address these needs, in addition to offering increased help to students through scholarships, we need to establish a formula where the Tech School PSA should increase 8% annually until caught up to the 2010 levels. This would help hold down tuition increases and help close the gap with industry for instructor pay. The Governor’s previous attempt to hire skilled workers from other states through the Manpower program led to close to a million taxpayers’ dollars spent to an out-of-state recruitment firm with very few workers recruited. The program is now being scrapped. • The Governor’s Office and the controlling Republican Legislators have resisted a serious discussion of the most obvious and serious problem facing our skilled workforce shortage: LOW WAGES. They keep concluding that a low-tax state like SD should have no problem attracting workers. They continue to perpetuate the myth that a lower cost of living makes up for the low wages. This false belief is so embedded; it’s likely the most important factor holding our state back from true economic development. • South Dakota ranks among the bottom ten states (41st out of 50) even when you factor in the cost of living. These rankings done by MoneyRates is based on an analysis that considers average wage and unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, as well as cost of living data, and state tax rates. If you do the research, you’ll find through multiple studies that it is cheaper to live in Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and dozens of other states, even after you factor in tax rates. • Will we continue to deny the facts or will we finally move the state forward? South Dakotans need to hold the State Legislature accountable for finding solutions, funding public education, growing our own quality workforce, and most importantly, increasing competitive wages which keep skilled workers from leaving SD. • SD is a great state but we can do so much better. We will continue to press for the expansion of Medicaid and to find out what really happened with the EB-5 issues and the packing plant in Aberdeen. • On the bright side we were able to have breakfast with FFA students in Ft. Pierre and to watch them in action as they led us through a meeting and a demonstration. FFA is something I am familiar with as I spent four years in the Redfield program. The hands on learning and leadership experiences are very valuable. I was excited to listen as they explained their “three circle model” of learning that includes classroom instruction which involves learning and expanding skills in research, writing, math, science, and language arts. The other two aspects include a supervised agriculture experience and practice in conducting business and leading others. • I am proud to represent District 2 and I thank you for the opportunity to serve you. • Sincerely, • Chuck Welke • SD State Senate • Brown, Clark, Hamlin, Spink • [email protected] • chuckwelke@gmail • 605-216-1467 •
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 13:35:32 +0000
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