Districts can’t pay to sue S.D.

School districts don’t have the authority to spend district money to support their lawsuit that challenges the state’s education funding system, a Pierre judge ruled Thursday. Circuit Judge Lori Wilbur also ruled that school districts don’t have the standing to sue the state to declare its education funding system unconstitutional.

This one leaves the Chief somewhat conflicted… like happening upon a rattlesnake fighting with a scorpion. Neither side in the argument makes you want to pick a winner.

It’s a fact that SD is at the bottom of the heap for teachers’ pay scales. (It’s also a fact that the Chief is teaching at a SD school district that is at the bottom of the SD heap.) More money would be good for this, but…

The Chief has also noted in SOME cases at least, that school boards, administrators are all too willing to spend money on their pet interests, and ignore (if not actually de facto denigrate) the teachers, and their needs and concerns.

On the other hand, there’s a REAL queasy feeling when one level of government starts spending tax money to sue another level of government about not getting enough of THEIR tax money passed down the line to them, which also requires the defendent side to spend even more tax money to counter the suit.

Sort of reminds the Chief of MAFIA fighting over the take of the protection/extortion rackets.

The final upshot? No matter how it turns out…the taxpayer takes it in the shorts, and the lawyers out to do good, end up doing right well for themselves!

Anyway, this decision doesn’t bode well for the school boards in this case.