Sequester shemester

Here is what the White House says is in store for South Dakota:

Teachers and schools

South Dakota will lose approximately $1,162,000 in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 20 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 1,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 10 fewer schools would receive funding. In addition, South Dakota will lose approximately $1,779,000 in funds for about 20 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with disabilities.

Work-study jobs

Around 90 fewer low income students in South Dakota would receive aid to help them finance the costs of college and around 10 fewer students will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college.

Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 200 children in South Dakota, reducing access to critical early education.

Funding for clean air and water

South Dakota would lose about $1,150,000 in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. In addition, South Dakota could lose another $735,000 in grants for fish and wildlife protection.

Military readiness

In South Dakota, approximately 1,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $6.3 million in total. Army: Base operation funding would be cut by about $900,000 in South Dakota. Air Force: Funding for Air Force operations in South Dakota would be cut by about $1 million.

Funds for law enforcement and public safety

South Dakota will lose about $37,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

Job-search assistance

South Dakota will lose about $216,000 in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, meaning around 8,060 fewer people will get the help and skills they need to find employment.

Child care

Up to 100 disadvantaged and vulnerable children could lose access to child care, which is also essential for working parents to hold down a job.

Vaccines for children

In South Dakota around 950 fewer children will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for vaccinations of about $65,000.

Public health

South Dakota will lose approximately $122,000 in funds to help upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. In addition, South Dakota will lose about $250,000 in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 1000 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs. And the South Dakota State Department of Health will lose about $34,000 resulting in around 800 fewer HIV tests.

STOP Violence Against Women Program

South Dakota could lose up to $16,000 in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 100 fewer victims being served.

Nutrition assistance for seniors

South Dakota would lose approximately $214,000 in funds that provide meals for seniors.

SOURCE: White House. GRAPHIC: Emily Chow, Kat Downs, Katie Park, Kenneth W. Smith Jr. and Tim Richardson - The Washington Post. Published Feb. 24, 2013. Updated Feb. 25, 2013.

A Denver teacher on guns in schools

Les with Loki at Red Rock.

A young teacher who also leads a band my daughter plays in offers a teacher's perspective on guns in schools from Facebook.  I note that guns in schools advocates go into a petulant rage and make up stories that Obama plans to confiscate all firearms when reasonable controls are suggested and they whine and  scream about their rights being trampled on.  But they do not hesitate to try to impose a truly stupid, unwanted, and unworkable mandate on teachers. 

Aaron Ukulele Loki Johnson shared Renée Barratt's photo. 23 hours ago ·

• I am a teacher. I have never met a teacher who wants a gun in his or her classroom. I adamantly do not want one and I will protest or walk out of any school that allows teachers to conceal-carry weapons. I became a teacher because I want to teach. I am not a police officer. If guns are ending up in classrooms, it is because our society is broken on another level. We need to fix it at that level. Using deadly force is neither my job nor my skill-set. I will never take a human life.
  
  On another note, Renee Barrat has put together the following useful list of a few things all of our nations teachers should be armed with.

  

  Teachers are asked to do so much with so little. While I support the 2nd amendment, I know that arming teachers with guns will do NOTHING compared to arming th...See More

  5Share

  • Leslie Newquist and 24 others like this.
  • 

    Gavin Birnam If we can afford armed guards or weapons for teachers, how is it that the kitty is empty when it comes to paying for things that are actually NEEDED in a school?

    23 hours ago · 1
  • 

    Zane Shaffer But if we mandate that every human possible is carrying a gun at all times it's somehow less likely that anyone will ever be shot by a gun! It's science!

    23 hours ago · 2
  • 

    Aaron Ukulele Loki Johnson That's clearly somehow right, Zane. I'm glad you pointed out the obviouse scientific solution. I wonder, was this solution possibly brought to us by the same scientists who are able pinpoint the date of Earth's creation through a careful mapping of the ages of biblical patriarchs, starting at Adam and moving forward?

    23 hours ago · 3
  • 

    Susan Froyd You go, Loki. Respect.

    21 hours ago · 1
  • 

    Paul Gutierrez I think the basis for the problem is that some people lose their connection to the rest of us to the point where they believe any problems in their life are a result of what society has done to them and resort to violence. We need to re think the no ch...See More

    14 hours ago via mobile