Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) Republican State Representative Steve Haugaard of Sioux Falls is against raising the sales tax by a half penny to fund teacher pay raises. Governor Daugaard's plan will again be up before the State House in Pierre this week.
Haugaard says the state sales tax is regressive and raising it would hurt the people least able to afford it. Moreover, Haugaard says that teacher salaries are low in some South Dakota school districts, but not in others. He told the Greg Belfrage Show Monday morning that teacher salaries in the Sioux Falls School District are close to the national averages. He believes that individual school districts with pay problems need to shift money around.
The vote on the teacher pay plan was unexpectedly postponed last week, with the gallery packed with teachers and school officials from around the state. Haugaard and other House Republicans called for the delay, saying that there were too many amendments to be considered on Tuesday in such a short time. Some supporters of the pay plan believe they delayed the vote simply because they knew it would pass. The hike in the state sales tax requires a two-thirds majority vote.
South Dakota has the lowest average teacher salary in the nation.