According to the Mitchell Daily Republic, Elizabeth May’s call for a special session seems to have fallen a bit flat:
May sent out a petition to state legislators to engage in a summer session in Pierre, but received only 13 signatures supported the special session. Of the three legislators from the Mitchell area, all three declined to sign the petition.
Rep. Joshua Klumb and Sen. Mike Vehle, of District 20—which includes Aurora, Davison and Jerauld counties—said the special session to address education is premature.
” … We already have a Blue Ribbon Task Force of legislators and other people to take a look at several of the education issues,” Vehle said. “I think to call a special session before that body is even through with this study, I don’t understand the reasoning.”
and..
“One, you’re probably not going to solve anything, and two, it would be an expensive waste of time,” Vehle said about engaging in a special session before the task force completes its study.
I’ve heard various anecdotes such as the organizers of the call for the special session were a bit miffed that leadership didn’t pick up envelopes. And one legislator I spoke with was being harangued by a tea partier over her declining to sign on.
But facts are facts. And 13 out out 105 is barely 12%, putting this idea down in the history books as an idea which didn’t work.
What? The threats didn’t work?
Twelve percent support is fairly close to her success rate at passing bills over the three years she’s served. If you look at the actual bills she sponsored – in 2013 she was 0 for 2. In 2014 she was 0 for 5. And in 2015 she was 1 for 4. That totals 1 for 11, or around 9%.
And if you look at the topics of the bills, you get an idea what’s important to her:
1. Two bills to supplant Common Core Standards.
2. Provide for the issuance of free fishing licenses to residents aged eighty-five and older.
3. Require a study and analysis of the financial, fiscal, and economic impacts of implementation of the Common Core State Standard
provide for the issuance of free fishing licenses to residents aged eighty-five and older.
supplant the Common Core Standards. 2x
Well lets see the results . Liz you promised to tell everyone who did not sign on . Call a press conference and name us all , or don’t you want everyone to know who did sign on . Just curious .
Cut her some slack. I like her.
She’s South Dakota’s version of Donal Trump. Minus the money.
Senator Vehle calls a special session a waste of time and money. What about the task force traipsing from one end of the state to the other, eating out, staying in motels, hiring a moderator, renting convention hall rooms, mileage, etc. Hopefully something worthwhile will evolve.
I have my doubts. All the stick-it notes that went up on the walls pretty much said the same thing – teachers and education are underfunded, need more money, raise taxes – the same mantra we always hear.
As with smoke outs, commemorations, calling the Question without support etc., all part of the process folks. We may not agree with the conjecture but the Rules are what they are and Rep. May; even though untimely and poorly planned, had every right as a South Dakota Representative to call for a Special Session. And as also in Rules the Process worked in disallowing it from occurring.
I agree with Charlie but want to expand.
If one plays by the rules and doesn’t get what they desire, they can’t blame the system after the fact.
Rep, May is my seatmate and friend. Though we don’t agree on this issue, there are many important issues we do agree on. I also reflect on the words and wisdom of anti-Common Core advocate Rep. Jim Bolin, who last session said (paraphrasing), “it’s time to move on folks.”
When an ill-advised policy is harming our youth, it certainly isn’t time to just move on.
That’s where we disagree, my friend. I don’t see the policy as ill-advised and nor do I see evidence it is harming our youth. In fact, I see just the opposite. Standards define the expectation for teachers and students; and they help to guide what content teachers are expected to focus on at each grade level. Standards also represent the effort of policymakers to define academic expectations. Last, current standards represent a response to the prevailing perception of America’s mediocre educational performance — a view of undistinguished performance that’s been around at least since the Nation at Risk report of 1983 which famously began, “The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation . . .” Rep. Bolin was right on target. It’s time to move on.
I knew it. Thank you for speaking about the real issue–your support of common core. For you, it is time to move on because you agree with it. I hope Bolin hasn’t changed his mind on the value of common core and that’s why he wants to move on.
Anonymous, more to the point, I am an advocate for children. During my years as a school board member, my primary goal was to provide children from our school district an education as good as any school in the world. Now as a legislator, my goal is the same for all South Dakota children. I want to provide them the best world-class educational opportunities possible. Standards are nothing more than a tool, like many other tools we have in the toolbox, to help us get to where we want to go.
I’m a parent who has actually had to put in hours in the evening with this garbage. No abstrat theories here.
at the extreme risk of repeating myself, Why do we need a special session when the business of education funding can be resolved during the normal session?