• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A measure that would spend more than $6 million to provide a one-time boost in state aid to school districts and technical schools was approved Tuesday by the South Dakota Senate.
• Senators voted unanimously to pass the bill after an emotional debate on a provision that would give $250,000 to Teach for America, an organization that supplies young teachers for schools on or near American Indian reservations.
• The House also approved a measure that includes similar one-time spending boosts for education and other programs. The two chambers will seek agreement on that additional spending before the main run of this year's legislative session ends Friday.
• In the overall state budget, Gov. Dennis Daugaard has recommended a 3 percent ongoing increase in state aid to school districts and funding for South Dakota's four technical institutes.
• The bill passed by the Senate would spend $5.8 million to give school districts an extra 1 percent increase in aid, equal to about $45 per student in South Dakota's public school districts. The extra money would be provided on a one-time basis, which means it would not be built into the ongoing spending base for schools.
• The measure also would give the four technical schools an extra $200,000.
• Most of the debate centered on a part of the bill that would give $250,000 to Teach for America, a program that first got state money a year ago. The program recruits college graduates and young professionals around the nation to teach for two years in low-income areas like South Dakota's American Indian reservations.
• Sen. Jim Bradford, D-Pine Ridge, a retired teacher, said he opposed giving money to Teach for America because the program has not improved student achievement on reservations. He said he would rather provide state money to help South Dakota universities produce Native American teachers who can return to reservations and teach while they serve as role models for students.
• "Let's do it right. ... Not some guy from New York or Michigan to stand up in front of my grandkids and teach them how to speak and do something," Bradford said.
• But other senators said tribal officials have praised Teach for America for motivating American Indian children to succeed in the classroom.
• Sen. Phyllis Heineman, R-Sioux Falls, said the program is needed as part of an

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