8 Broadcaster Press January 19, 2016 www.broadcasteronline.com New Toastmaster Welcomed Shorma Set For First Legislative Session Jing An is seen here being welcomed with a Certificate of Acceptance by Toastmasters Club 1294 President Roy Wilcox. Like many people do Jing has joined Toastmasters to improve her public speaking, especially impromptu speaking. She hopes to gain confidence and leadership as well which will enhance her skills as a Professor. Jing is the Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at USD. She came to the United Sates from Tianjin, China in 2010 to pursue a doctoral program at Ohio State and began working at USD in 2014. Yankton Toastmasters Club 294 meets every Saturday at 7:30 am at the Fryn’Pan. Interested individuals are welcome to join us for a closer look. The Year To Act On Education A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard The 2016 Legislative Session began this week. This year, I am proposing that South Dakota address the issue of teacher pay. We all know that the key to student achievement is an effective teacher. We also know that South Dakota’s teacher salaries are lowest in the nation and have been for decades. South Dakota competes with our surrounding states for teachers, and we are falling further behind them. Ten years ago, South Dakota’s average teacher salary was about $2,000 behind North Dakota. We were 51st and they were 49th. Montana was 47th and Nebraska was 42nd. Today, we are still closest to North Dakota among our surrounding states. But the gap is $8,000. We still rank 51st. North Dakota moved from 49th to 36th. Montana moved from 47th to 28th. Nebraska moved from 42nd to 32nd. If South Dakota wants to maintain high student achievement, we need a new generation of high quality teachers. To address this need, I am proposing a one half cent increase in the state sales tax. This will fund a new school funding formula that will move South Dakota’s average teacher salary from $40,000 to a target average of $48,500. At that level, South Dakota will be competitive with surrounding states. The new funding formula will fund schools based on a target average salary of $48,500 and on a target student-to-teacher ratio for each district. That is not a measure of class size – it is a measure of all instructional staff per student. Here is what the state is offering schools: the state will give school districts enough funding to pay the target salary, if the district reaches the target student-toteacher ratio. This new formula will create a more transparent funding system, based on actual costs. State policymakers will be able to see that schools receive enough money to pay their costs. At the local level, the new formula will lead to informed conversations about how local decisions impact a school’s ability to reach the target average salary. As we ask schools to pay teachers more, we must also give them tools to be more efficient. My plan includes several measures to allow schools to become more efficient and save money. An expansion of the Statewide Center for e-Learning at Northern State University will make more high-quality online courses available to students, at no cost to their home schools. The state will also expand successful programs that encourage sharing of services. For example, the state already negotiates centrally for Internet broadband access, and provides that service to schools. This saves schools more than it costs the state. We can expand this approach to other areas, such as purchasing, payroll administration or software licensing. The introduction of new funding also allows the state to correct inequities. Under our current formula, property taxes are equalized across districts, so children receive uniform education, regardless of property values in their districts. However, the Let The Broadcaster and Plain Talk Make Cash For You! formula does not equalize some revenue sources, such as wind farm taxes, bank franchise taxes, the gross receipts tax on utilities and traffic fines. My proposal will treat all of these sources like property taxes, so that all schools are treated fairly. The one half cent will generate $40 million in new revenue beyond our needs, however, so I am also proposing that this excess be dedicated to property tax relief. My plan imposes caps on school reserves funds, and limits future growth of property taxes for capital outlay. These are positive steps that benefit taxpayers and ensure that the funds we spend benefit today’s students. We all want what is best for our children. We want to provide them with a quality education. And we know that requires a strong workforce of great teachers. This is the year to act. 3x ...the Value For Your Classified! 605-624-4429 BY RANDY DOCKENDORF randy.dockendorf@yankton. net DAKOTA DUNES — Bill Shorma captured only one vote to become a South Dakota state legislator, but it was the only vote he needed. Gov. Dennis Daugaard appointed Shorma, a Republican businessman from Dakota Dunes, to the District 16 Senate seat. The vacancy occurred with last year’s resignation of Republican incumbent Dan Lederman of Dakota Dunes. Shorma was formerly of Yankton before moving to Dakota Dunes. "This is my first (legislative) session, and I’m really looking forward to doing the best job I can for all the people of South Dakota," he told the Press & Dakotan. "I’ll listen to my constituents for feedback and alternative points of view, and (I’ll) make the best decisions possible." While a first-time officeholder, Shorma grew up watching his father serve in the North Dakota Legislature. Bill Shorma has followed in his father’s political footsteps as a state legislator. The younger Shorma serves in the 2016 South Dakota Legislature which opened Tuesday. He will serve the remainder of Lederman’s term, which expires after the 2016 general election. District 16 includes all of Union County, and southern and eastern portions of Lincoln County, including the cities of Worthing, Canton, Beresford and Hudson. Shorma enters the 2016 session as a mid-term replacement. Most of his fellow South Dakota legislators are used to the process, but he’s entering new territory. However, he doesn’t intend to sit back. He plans to learn quickly and to make his mark in the 35-member Senate. "I expect to be involved in Vermillion High School to Present One-Act Drama refining and working on these issues in the Senate and will use my experience in business negotiations to help to reach the best possible outcomes," he said. Shorma is a former director of the Board of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. He has served as chair of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chair of the Yankton Area Chamber of Commerce, president of the Prairie Family Business Association and a member of the South Dakota Junior Achievement Board of Directors. "Bill Shorma learned the value of hard work from an entrepreneurial family, and he knows what it takes to start a business, create jobs and make a payroll," Daugaard said in a news release. "He has also given back to his community in many ways, and I thank him for taking on this new public service role." Shorma isn’t alone as a gubernatorial appointment. Daugaard has named other replacements for legislators who resigned for personal or professional reasons. "Being appointed to the South Dakota Senate by the governor was a fairly straightforward process from my perspective," Shorma said. "I had expressed interest in the open seat and supplied the governor’s office with a packet of information such as my biography, a sample list of my core beliefs and my career history." Shorma then took part in an interview process. "I was contacted shortly thereafter and asked to meet with a group of staff from that (governor’s) office. That interview took place in Union County," he said. "A few days later, I interviewed with Governor Daugaard in Pierre. And a short time after that, he phoned me and offered me the seat in the South Dakota Senate." Shorma said he felt no hesitation in accepting the appoint- Vermillion High School students will present a one-act cutting of Deborah Brevoort’s play, The Women of Lockerbie. Loosely based on the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland; the play follows an American couple’s struggle to grieve the lose of their son and the women of Lockerbie’s valiant attempts to find hope in the aftermath a devastating tragedy. This forty-minute production can be seen for one night only on the Vermillion High School stage: Friday, January 22, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. COMPETITIVELY PRICED COVERAGE FOR: •Homeowners •Renters College of Fine Arts Department of Music Presents 18th Annual USD Quad State Honor Band Festival Concert Featuring Conductors Andrea Brown, University of Michigan and Jonathan Alvis, USD Monday, January 25, 2016 Aalfs Auditorium, Slagle Hall 7:00 PM Sponsored by: •Farmowners •Rental Property Pat Girard Ph. (605) 267-2421 Mark Donnelly Ph. (605) 659-5596 ment. "I was honored and accepted without reservation," the newly-chosen legislator said. "I know I wasn’t the only candidate that was considered or interviewed, and (I) was honored to be chosen." Shorma needed to hit the ground running when it came to fulfilling his duties. "My preparation has been a very interesting time to me," he said. "I met with many Senate and House of Representative members over the summer, fall and winter at a variety of events. "I went through an orientation with a number of folks at the Legislative Research Council, and I attended many pre-legislative events with interest groups, task forces, business groups, county commissioners, community economic development groups, and state and local chambers of commerce, to list a few." When it comes to his new role, Shorma joked he wanted to be dressed for success. "On a lighter note, I inventoried my dress shirts, ties and jackets and polished my shoes and am ready to go," he said. Speaking seriously, he noted he will serve on the Commerce and Energy Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee and the Transportation Committee. "Bills first go through the committee process, so each morning during the session," he said. "Every legislator attends meetings and hears supporting and opposing points of views from citizens, lobbyists (and others). In the afternoon, the House and Senate meet in chambers." Shorma seeks feedback fr m his constituents while in Pierre and back home. "All of those activities (at the Legislature) are open to the public, and I would encourage you to attend, speak and participate in any way you can," he said. Follow @RDockendorf on Twitter. Affordable Monuments by Mollet Memorials Monuments Starting $ at 1,760 Price includes: Design, Lettering, Setting & Cement Foundation Vermillion and Beresford Areas Linda Jamtgaard Cummings 605-408-6631 Marlon Mollet “Create a Legacy” 605-360-9656 or visit molletmemorials.com CLAY COUNTY, SD LAND AUCTION 70.16 +/- Acres, Norway Township Thursday, Feb 4, 2016 10:30 AM We will sell the following real estate at public auction at the landsite located from west side Vermillion, SD, approximately 4 miles west on Timber Rd and ½ mile north on 458th Ave or from Meckling, SD 1 ½ miles southeast on SD Hwy 50 and 3 miles south on 458th Ave. If you are looking for a good productive farmland located in southeast of SD, then don’t miss this auction! The land is in a corn/soybean rotation and is available to the new owner for the 2016 crop year. According to the FSA there are 69.7 acres of cropland with a 34 acre corn base with a 144 bushel PLC yield and a 34 acre soybean base with a 48 bushel PLC yield. County soil rating of .827. According to Surety/AgriData the land has a productivity rating of 88 and predominate soils include: Lossing silty clay, 0-2 percent slopes and Onawa silty clay, 0-2 percent slopes. Taxes: $2546.82. If you are looking to expand your current farming operation or purchase land as an investment, be sure to attend this auction! Let The Broadcaster & Plainparty Broadcaster and Plain Talk private Talk Make Cash now FREE classified line ads areFor You! for 30 Broadcasterless. If you Talk private than words or & Plain need more party classified line ads worry you still for 30 30 words, don’t are now FREE won’t words or less. If you ad is only $.90 and pay alot. A 31-word need more than 30 words, don’t worry you still won’t pay a lot. the cost only goes up $.50 per word A 31-word ad is only 90¢ and the cost only thereafter. 50¢ per word thereafter. goes up Legal Description: N ½ NW ¼ except the South 10 Rods, 18-92-52, Clay County, SD. TERMS: 15% nonrefundable down payment day of sale with the balance due at closing on or before March 16, 2016. Title insurance and closing costs split 50/50 between buyer and seller. 2015 taxes due in 2016 paid by the seller. 2016 taxes due in 2017 to be paid by the buyer. The acres in this property are based on acres stated in the county tax records with acres to be understood to be “more or less”. The sellers do not warranty or guarantee that the existing fences lie on the true and correct boundary and new fencing, if any, will be the responsibility of the purchaser pursuant to SD statutes. The property is sold in as is condition and as a cash sale with no financing contingency. Sold subject to existing easements, restrictions, reservations, or highway of record, if any. Information is deemed to be correct but it is not guaranteed. All prospective buyers are encouraged to inspect the property and verify all data provided. Statements made the day of sale take precedence over all written advertising. Real Estate licensees are agents for the seller. Sold subject to confirmation of owner. For additional information, maps and pictures visit: www.westraatkins.com Dorothy Golden Estate, Owner Place your Place your ad by calling the by calling the Broadcaster/Plain Talk office at Broadcaster/Plain Talk office 605.624.4429 or by stopping in at at 605-624-4429 or by stopping 201 W. Cherry Street today! in at 201 W. Cherry Street today! Don’t get left out in the rain! The Broadcaster has all the deals you need to keep you high and dry! 624-4429 Roberta Famestad, Personal Repesentative Joel R Westra, Broker, Beresford, SD 605-310-6941 Pete Atkins, Broker Associate, Tea, SD 605-351-984 Joel A Westra, Broker Associate, Chancellor, SD 605-957-5222 Phil Eggers, Broker Associate, Renner, SD 605-351-5438 Mark Zomer, Vande Vegte Zomer Auctions, Rock Valley, IA 712-470-2526 broadcasteronline.com