I can point to a passel of Democratic Legislative candidates who are making hay of their opposition to House Bill 1234. But my new surprise GOP friend and defender of education is dark-horse House candidate Roger Hofer, who is making bumper stickers to fight the Governor's effort to wreck education:
Spurred by his disappointment with the teaching-reforms bill, HB 1234, passed during the recent legislative session, Hofer made the decision to run for House.
Hofer said the legislation, which included a provision to reward the top teachers in a district with more pay, will force teachers to compete against each other.
"Education and teaching should be a team effort," he said.
In anticipation of a possible public referendum on the bill, Hofer purchased bumper stickers with the slogan "Say no to HB 1234" to give to prospective voters. Despite his opposition to merit pay, Hofer supports increasing pay for the state's teachers [Chris Mueller, "Four Vie for District 19 House Nod," Mitchell Daily Republic, 2012.05.22].
I love hearing Hofer hit all the right marks on why HB 1234 will harm education. I'd issue a Hofer endorsement on the spot, but District 19 is full of Republicans who oppose the Governor's education reform package. Two of the Republicans he faces in the June 5 primary, Rep. Stace Nelson and Sen. Jim Putnam, voted against HB 1234 this February. If Kyle Schoenfish has any favorable feelings toward HB 1234, he'll switch them the moment he feels the wind of popular sentiment. And I've got to save one of my "votes" for Alan Fenner, the Democrat in the District 19 House race.
Worth noting: the District 19 Senate race features Democratic Rep. Frank Kloucek, who gave a great speech against HB 1234 in the House. I'm not sure where his Republican opponent, Bill Van Gerpen, stands on HB 1234, but Bill's uncle Ed was one of the six brave Republicans who switched from aye to nay on the Governor's education plan. Listen to your uncle, Bill!
I'm glad to hear Hofer campaigning against HB 1234. Whether he makes headway against the two sitting GOP legislators in his primary, expect District 19 to lead the conversation this fall about why HB 1234 is a bad idea.
Chad, thank you for your "vote". As a former agriculture teacher myself, I can assure you that I am also strongly opposed to HB1234 for all of the reasons Mr. Hofer has stated. In addition, loss of continuing contract could leave teachers vulnerable to a disgruntled board member or parent with an ax to grind.
Chad?
It seems Fenner has left Cory hanging
Cory,
Boy is my face red! Sorry about that.
Oh, the wit! Thank you, LK. And no harm, no foul, Alan! I appreciate your checking in and making clear your agreement with the majority of your competitors (and, dare I say, South Dakotans?) that HB 1234 stinks. Have you heard Mr. Schoenfish take a position on the bill? (And do you have a campaign website yet? I want the link for my Election 2012 Website Index!)
Nelson maybe huge, but he is no nutjob.
Yikes! Nutjob as defined by the Marines Corps: Criminal Investigative Division (CID) Investigators.
http://www.usmc-mccs.org/leadersguide/keytermindex.cfm
HB 1234 identifies the funding lacking in our K-12 education system. Great start and downhill from there... Seems that everyone forgets that school districts have a locally elected school board that works with school district administration (key word) on how to manage and operate our schools. This bill essentially stripes their ability to do so. Another example of regulated funding that debilitates local government. Evaluations - expensive program to operate and manage that many school districts already use. Remember the part about 2 consecutive sub-standard ratings, especially if a rating quota is directed. Bonus/Incentives - negative consequences to cooperative education and division between administration and educators (this part really bothers me but wage scales really need to be worked on between DOE and SDEA...ie points system for raises formula so salary not primarily based on degree level and longevity. CE is part of certification process.). Math & Science Bonus - sounds like JFK space race education program to me, but how about two considerations; 1) Elementary reading and other cornerstone programs found in kindergarten and grades 1-3 form basis so how is that factored? 2) School districts know what is crucial in their districts and these limitations directly impact their ability to address needed educators in their schools...and we are back to wage scale thing and local school management. Scholarships - love the idea but instead of only 100 carrots for 132 (close count I think) districts...how about school districts each receiving one scholarship per year for teachers they have hired? Takes the pressure off budgets and lock ins for disappointments or forcing schools to hire applicants with scholarships. Bottom line is fund SAF and quit jerking schools around with "One Time Funding" that kills long term fiscal budgeting. Give districts their money and let local voters elect responsible school boards. Just my 2 cents.
tldr: sentence breaks, please.
tldd: you are correct. Started with too much in one Bill. I should have broken it into at least five posts.