(Continued from page 25)

"not as strong as we thought they would be."
• But Rep. Jacqueline Sly, R-Rapid City, who chaired the summer study that recommended the extra state aid, said school districts had to cut programs and increase class sizes after the cuts. A lack of money also has hurt efforts to boost teachers' salaries, she said.
• Wade Pogany of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota said spending in most state programs has grown beyond what was spent before the 2011 budget cuts. Schools should get the same treatment, he said.
• He said many districts are increasing local property taxes to make ends meet.
• "We need your help," Pogany told the committee.
• State aid was frozen in 2010 and cut in 2011 as part of Daugaard's plan to slash most state spending by 10 percent as a result of the recession. Because of some changes made by the Legislature, the effective cut to school districts in 2011 was 6.6 percent.
• Daugaard's plan would set spending per student from state and local funds at $4,764 next year. Schools want it raised to $4,805, the level in place before the 2011 cuts.
• Rob Monson, director of the School Administrators of South Dakota, said South Dakota's average teacher pay is the lowest in the nation and districts are having a tough time hiring and keeping teachers.
• South Dakota has the nation's lowest average teacher salary in the 2012-2013 school year at $39,580, far below the national average of $56,383 and substantially below average paychecks in neighboring states, according to the U.S. Education Department.
•

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The state Senate has unanimously approved a measure that would make animal cruelty a felony in South Dakota, the only state without a felony penalty for cases involving severe animal abuse.
• Similar bills failed in past years. But this year's bill was written in an effort that included an animal welfare group and many agricultural groups.
• Current South Dakota law makes inhumane treatment of animals a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. The neglect, abandonment or mistreatment of an animal would remain a misdemeanor in the bill.
• The measure would make cruelty to animals a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of $4,000. Accepted practices for raising livestock would

(Continued on page 27)