Category: Uncategorized

Mitchell School Superintendent Joe Graves is writing today in the Mitchell Daily Republic that South Dakota may actually be more competitive in school funding than the education lobby in the state might care to admit – and that part of the solution to teacher pay in the state might be up to schools in how they spend their money:

Yet, today, here I am stuck in the middle on the governor’s recently proposed blue ribbon committee to study the issue of teacher shortages and compensation levels. On the one hand, I view such an endeavor with a cynical eye, wondering if such a political animal is more about finding real solutions to a serious problem or about putting off the pain that such an obvious solution will bring to the political class. What better way to ignore a problem than by studying it one more time, ad infinitum or at least ad nauseam (the latter, quite literally).

and…

State finance officials point out that while teacher compensation may be bottom of the barrel, funding provided to schools compared to other states is significantly more competitive. Which means, if accurate, that either South Dakota schools are spending money on things other than teacher salaries or that we have serious inefficiencies or just alternative choices in our education spending. An example of the former might be transportation, the busing of all those students across wide expanses of our sparsely populated state both to get to school and to the far-flung school district against whose basketball team we are competing. An example of the latter might be the need to pay a teacher and an administrator in a rural school in which class sizes fall below those that could be more efficiently maintained simply because there are no additional students.

Alternatively, there may be other options for increasing average teacher compensation levels other than the straightforward and endlessly offered by educators and their lobbyists: give the schools more so they can pay teachers more.

Read it all here.

I bring it up, as I don’t know those are statistics that we’ve heard much about before – and Graves brings up a valid point. We might very be competitive in what we spend, it’s just going to other expenses, and unable to be spent directly to educators.

And if that’s the case, we might not be excited with the solutions.

Jon Ellis is writing this morning about things that most SDWC readers have been hearing about for months; that the 2018 Gubernatorial race is likely between Mickelson, Jackley & Noem.

But my favorite comment comes up when he notes the 2016 race for US Senate. As in, there isn’t likely to be one. Or at least a serious one:

And no, we aren’t talking about the 2016 Senate race, where John Thune is expected to seek a third term. Democrats are in the middle of an epic rebuilding period, and it’s unlikely that they can field a candidate and an operation that would pose a serious threat to Thune with an election now less than two years away.

Read it here.

I’m reading on Facebook that State Senator Brock Greenfield is laid up in the Watertown hospital after a particularly nasty fall that left the long-time legislator with a broken arm.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Greenfield.

I was going to ask if was his arm for voting “no,” was injured, as it would have limited him immensely. But with his move to the senate this year, they don’t have all that newfangled technology, and thankfully rely on voice votes.

With Noem Support, House Passes Permanent Increase to Section 179 for Farmers and Small Businesses

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today joined the U.S. House of Representatives in passing H.R.636, America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act. This legislation, which Noem helped advance through the Ways and Means Committee last week, increases Section 179 expensing limitations for small businesses and farms, among other things.

“As a lifelong farmer and rancher, I understand the importance of reasonable deduction levels for new equipment,” said Rep. Noem. “Increasing the Section 179 expensing limitations for small businesses and farms gives families more flexibility to invest in their operation. And I know the certainty of a permanent increase would be more than welcome too.”

H.R.636 increases deduction amounts under Section 179 of the tax code to $500,000, which maintains 2014 levels. On December 31, 2014, a temporary extension of the $500,000 expensing limitations expired, dropping the maximum amount to $25,000.

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Thune Statement on House Passage of Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

“A bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate have spoken.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the House’s bipartisan passage of the Senate bill to approve the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline:

“For more than six years, President Obama has made one excuse after another for blocking this common-sense jobs and infrastructure project. A bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate have spoken. The time to approve the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline is now. I hope the president chooses American jobs and opportunity over political appeasement, and signs this bill into law.”

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Following Pressure from Delegation, FEMA Releases Timeline for Updated Sioux Falls Flood Map

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following pressure on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the delegation at a January 27, 2015, meeting, U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) received a timeline for the release of the updated Sioux Falls flood map. According to the February 5, 2015, letter, FEMA will provide a draft of the updated flood map along the Big Sioux River and Skunk Creek by June of 2015. The letter also outlined FEMA’s plans to issue a letter of final determination in the spring of 2016. Once the flood maps are finalized, most impacted homeowners who wish to cancel their flood insurance will likely be eligible for a refund of their annual flood insurance premium.

“The draft flood map due in June of 2015 should provide more certainty for commercial developers in Sioux Falls,” said the delegation. “For too long, developers have been sidelined due to the financial hardships associated with building in the flood plain; however, the draft maps should provide guidance for what the new flood plain will look like and allow construction to get underway. We will continue to urge FEMA to approve a new flood map as quickly as possible, which will ease the financial burden on homeowners in the expanded floodplain.”

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA began issuing new 100-year flood maps, which resulted in nearly 1,600 additional Sioux Falls homeowners and businesses being required to purchase costly federal flood insurance. In 2008, the city and the Army Corps of Engineers worked out an agreement to expedite construction of upgraded levees to decrease the size of the flood plain by allowing the city to fund the outstanding federal cost of the project, with the potential to be later reimbursed by the Corps. This agreement led to a less costly and timelier completion of the levees, and the city has since been reimbursed by the Corps for the federal share of the project.

Now that the levees along the Big Sioux River and Skunk Creek have been upgraded and certified by the Corps, it is up to FEMA to issue a new flood map reflecting the new, smaller flood plain in Sioux Falls. Once a new flood map is finalized, many local residents and businesses will no longer be required to purchase federal flood insurance policies and others will have less expensive premiums due to the reduced risk of flooding. Without an updated flood plain map, economic development and construction along the Big Sioux River and Skunk Creek are significantly limited while developers wait for updated maps.

On September 11, 2014, Thune and Noem sent a letter to FEMA Director Craig Fugate calling on the agency to develop a new flood map for Sioux Falls as soon as possible. The January 27, 2015, meeting continued the delegation’s work to push for a timely update to the flood map along Skunk Creek and the Big Sioux River.

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I’ve been picking through Democrats’ Campaign finance reports, and noticed a trend among the statewide losing candidates that might be worth noting. Awful fundraising, and bad campaign finance reporting marks the undercard performers who filled the few Constitutional officer seats the Democrats bothered to attempt to fill.

Which might be a big tipoff as to some of the reasons they fared so dismally. No one had a clue what they were doing, and even fewer wanted to waste money on them:

Denny Pierson, Treasurer:. No year end campaign finance report on file yet. In the pre-general report, claiming $8241.50 Raised, $6845 Spent.

That could fund a legislative race. Maybe.

Denny Pierson Pre-General Report

Angelia Schultz, Secretary of State:  Claiming zero carried over (my error) , zero raised, zero spent in her year end report, despite reporting supplemental donations, and $1315.47 carried over in her previous report, which you can read below.  In her pre-general, where *I think* she claims $4598.81 raised, $3283.34 spent, and $1315.47 left over.

I say “I think” because the Dem’s candidate for SOS failed to fill the pre-general report out properly.  And, there’s no reporting of the supplemental donations.

In short, we knew they couldn’t raise money, but apparently Democrats also put up someone for SOS who couldn’t manage to fill out the campaign finance forms correctly.

Schultz Pre General

David Allen for PUC. Year End Report showing $494 Raised and nothing Spent. Although, Records do show him raising $750.   His Pre-general report which isn’t loading on the SOS site may have $300 or so in expenditures.

I’m not sure that funds a School Board race.

David Allen for PUC Year End Report by Pat Powers

Not a good reflection on the Democrats.   Luckily for Republicans, it sets the stage for continued GOP Dominance of the Statehouse for many years to come.

Why? Because we’re not seeing a challenge from these jokers any time soon.

Avenue Q was awesome but Annette Bosworth and Chad Haber bringing their three young kids and leaving at intermission was priceless.

— DJ Smith (@dennisUSD) January 26, 2015

I couldn’t help but laugh at this. That wasn’t Sesame Street they went to see.

I’m assuming it finally dawned on them that it was strictly an adults only show when the puppets started singing “the Internet is for Porn.”