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there is not comparative income from an acre of corn vs. an acre of grassland. This is a tax fairness issue and a distribution of taxes based on actual usage is the right way to measure the value of ag land.
• A resolution came before the House dealing with the Common Core standards adopted by our State Board of Education three years ago. There was a large delegation of concerned citizens in the gallery in favor of the Resolution which would have phased out the Common Core standards in the next several years.  This Resolution failed on a vote of 31-34.  I'll continue to study this issue as other legislation of a similar nature comes before the House.
• Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in Pierre. I may be reached through my email at the capitol Rep.Feickert@state.sd.us.
• District 1 Representative Dennis Feickert

• We have spent this last week in Appropriations Committee hearing from the two biggest dollar agencies in state government:  Education and Social Services.  We spent three days on each, and there was much to learn, but I'll limit this column's review to education.
• We all know that there are not enough skilled workers in South Dakota. Some of the reasons cited for this include our aging population and declining numbers of high school students, but also the increased recruitment of our high school students by surrounding states, which have dramatically increased their marketing and recruitment of our students. Many surrounding states have lower education costs; once in other states, students find internships or employment and don't return to our state.
• The per student allocation of state assistance for Technical Institutes has decreased by 32% in the last four years.   This has put an increased burden on students to fund their own education.  Among our seven neighboring states, we are last among the seven in the percentage of state and local aid we provide for our students.  So technical institutes are seeking support in scholarships, equipment needs, basic maintenance and repair of campuses, and faculty salary competitiveness.  It's pretty tough to attract a diesel mechanic to teach it for $20,000 less than what he can make doing in the dealer's shop.
• To address these needs, the technical institutes are seeking support in four areas:
• After the 2011 budget cuts, over 500 positions were cut in K-12. Schools are reporting many areas where hiring is difficult and some positions remain unfilled.  Of

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