School districts get pass from lawmakers on teacher pay law compliance
Exemptions from 2016 state law approved by Legislature's budget panel
PIERRE — Four South Dakota school districts not spending enough of their budgets on teacher pay under state law dodged censure Tuesday.
The state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations voted 12 to 2 to grant waivers to the Faith, Herreid, New Underwood and Tripp-Delmont school districts — all of which failed to have cash-on-hand amounts within the percentage allowed by a minimum teacher-pay law passed under Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s administration.
This year, districts are required to have teacher pay meet or exceed levels higher than those in 2017, while only certain amounts of cash can be left in their general balance. The intent of the second requirement is to make sure that state funds intended for education spending are actually getting there.
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