Dakota War College is generally full of crap and Republican press releases. Wait, that’s redundant….

I know, that’s no way to talk about a potential political ally. DWC’s pseudonymous “Bill Clay” and I clearly dislike each other’s politics, and “Clay” clearly dislikes me personally.

Stop merit pay and Governor Daugaard’s other bad ideas for education: sign and share this online petition today!

That’s what makes DWC’s call for the rejection of House Bill 1234 all the more remarkable. Yes, I said rejection. “Bill Clay” calls Governor Dennis Daugaard’s education reform proposals well-intentioned, but he says we should shelve them and start over with a statewide, yearlong conversation to come up with something better:

A plan like this should be formed jointly. There are 105 legislators who all ran to serve the state and their constituents. I guarantee every single one of them wants to increase our children’s test scores. Rather than Governor Daugaard proposing a bill in the manner he did, I would have preferred that he give an outline of his goals and allow the legislature to form a committee to study all of the various possibilities to enhance the education experience.

Let’s work together to find the best alternative to increasing student achievement in the state of South Dakota.

My belief is that if this bill is rejected, our leaders will produce a much sounder bill with input from a diverse group of interested individuals [an author who continues to hide his real name, "Start Over on Daugaard Education Proposal," Dakota War College, 2012.02.17].

Drop HB 1234, convene a task force to study real problems in and real solutions for South Dakota’s K-12 public schools: that’s the same thing House Minority Leader Bernie Hunhoff is calling for. That’s the same thing my online petition calls for.

When Hunhoff, Heidelberger, and Dakota War College are on the same page, you know a plan is in trouble.

“Bill Clay” adds this observation on public sentiment:

I haven’t talked to one person who is outright supportive of the education proposal as currently written. Many conservative educators I know who are active in conservative causes have problems with this bill [DWC, 2012.02.17].

“Bill Clay” appears to find the same popular opinion that my poll three weeks ago did: hardly anyone outside of the Governor’s inner circle sees HB 1234 as a rock-’em-sock’-em solution for whatever vaguely defined problems our schools may face.

On February 7, DWC initially offered a mixed response to the original HB 1234. DWC then expressed agreement with me on February 9 that the new “compromise” to give $8000 bonuses to rookie math and science teachers won’t improve our K-12 system. Now DWC has shown that even faithful GOP conservatives can be moved to the “No” column on HB 1234. Let’s hope we can find some Senators and, if another House vote is necessary, seven Republicans whom we can persuade the same course of logic.

Related: Brookings school board president Steve Bayer calls HB 1234 “fiscally irresponsible” and “a poor use of tax dollars.” In the same Brookings Register article, Brookings superintendent Roger DeGroot says nearly 80% of South Dakota’s K-12 superintendents oppose HB 1234. The other 20%, I speculate, are hoping for some kind of bonus from the Governor.

Update 10:42 MST: Spearfish High School principal Steve Morford makes public his negative opinion of HB 1234:

I have seen nothing to show me that any part of the bill will improve student achievement, classroom effectiveness, teacher performance or education in general. There is little, if any, evidence that merit pay produces any statistically relevant change in student achievement. In fact, there is abundant research indicating that merit pay plans do not increase student achievement. The plan does not reward teachers for student achievement.  It rewards teachers for competing with, rather than collaborating with each other.

… Even if amended, it will be difficult to make this bill a good one. I heard this statement – “when you change something that is bad in the first place, it usually just becomes another form of bad” [Steve Morford, "Educational Issues," Black Hills Pioneer, 2012.02.18].

Steve Morford isn’t just my boss; he was South Dakota’s Principal of the Year in 2011.

Update 11:16 MST: I take friends wherever I can find them. Rep. Stace Nelson (R-25/Fulton) sounds ready to vote against HB 1234 if he gets the chance:

Rep. Nelson missed Monday’s House vote due to health issues.

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