PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Gov. Dennis Daugaard's plan to give bonuses to the state's top teachers was endorsed Wednesday by a South Dakota House committee after supporters said it would lead to better teachers and improved student achievement.
The Education Committee voted 11-4 along party lines to send the measure to the full House. All Republicans supported the plan, while Democrats opposed it
Democrats said merit pay never works in schools, but Republicans argued the proposed bonuses should eventually improve the quality of teachers in South Dakota's school districts.
Tony Venhuizen, the governor's communications and policy director, told the committee that South Dakota students score above the national average in achievement tests, but those scores have not improved much even as state spending on schools has increased substantially in recent decades.
"The focus can't be on how much we're spending, but we also can't be afraid to spend money in a way that affects student achievement," Venhuizen said.
However, teachers told the panel that the bonuses could harm the quality of education by discouraging teachers from collaborating, because they will instead be competing against each other for the bonus money.
Susan Turnipseed of Brookings, South Dakota's 2011 teacher of the year, said she developed into a good teacher over the past three decades because of help she received from other teachers.
"Rewarding just 20 percent of us with bonus pay ... will work against all we have worked so hard to create," Turnipseed said as she testified over the telephone. "Look for ways that will encourage teachers to work together and learn and grow."
The Republican governor's plan was changed this week after he reached an agreement with GOP lawmakers, who control both chambers of the Legislature.
The governor had proposed annual bonuses of $3,500 for math and science teachers in middle schools and high schools. The revised plan would give new math and science teachers $8,000 annual bonuses for their first five years of teaching, as long as they teach at a South Dakota public school.
Venhuizen said South Dakota has a shortage of math and science teachers, and the bonus would draw more young people into the field. Those new teachers could use the extra $40,000 to pay off student loans, he said.
Daugaard also proposed giving annual $5,000 bonuses to the top 20 percent of each school district's teachers, based on evaluations and student performance. The revised proposal allows school districts to follow the governor's original plan, create their own teacher reward plans or not take part at all.
Venhhuizen said all bonuses would be in addition to regular salaries paid to teachers. The bonuses for math and science teachers would start in the fall of 2013 and would eventually cost $5 million a year, while the bonuses for the top 20 percent of teachers would start in the fall of 2014 and cost about $10 million a year.
The governor's plan also would eliminate tenure protections in July for new teachers who do not already have tenure. Teachers who already have tenure would keep it. Daugaard has said new teachers won't need the protection, because they will be evaluated fairly under a new system being developed by the state Education Department.
Currently, any South Dakota teacher who has worked more than three consecutive years in a district has tenure and can be fired only for poor performance, gross immorality or other misconduct.
Pat Moller of Mitchell, the state's 2012 teacher of the year, said he opposes the bill because tenure gives teachers the protection to take risks and push students by trying innovative things in the classroom. With the improved evaluation system, school districts will be able to get rid of teachers who perform poorly, so there is no need to eliminate tenure, he said.
But representatives of many state education groups said they support the teacher bonus plan.
Wade Pogany of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota said the measure gives school boards the flexibility to decide how they will award bonuses. However, school boards have questions about the increased testing that might be required to measure student performance, he said.
Rick Melmer, former state education secretary and now dean of education at the University of South Dakota, said there is a shortage of math and science teachers and tenure is not needed. But he noted some bonus plans have worked and others have failed in other states.
Rep. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, who taught for 32 years, said tenure is needed to protect teachers from retribution from powerful people who are unhappy with how their children have been taught or disciplined. Without tenure, teachers will be afraid to deal with students appropriately, which will lead to mediocrity in the classrooms, he said.
Schools are much different from private businesses, so merit pay does not work, Bolin said.
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