Organizers apologize for Dash for Cash event
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The organizers of the now-viral Dash for Cash event have apologized and are donating additional money to area teachers.
The Sioux Falls Stampede and CU Mortgage Direct issued a joint-apology Monday afternoon, stating “although our intent was to provide a positive and fun experience for teachers, we can see how it appears to be degrading and insulting towards the participating teachers and the teaching profession as a whole.”
The first Dash for Cash was organized to give 10 teachers a chance to compete for $5,000 that would fund their classrooms. CU Mortgage Direct donated the money.
The teachers received more than $5,000 and each educator walked away with a minimum of $500, according to Jim Olander, the president of the Sioux Falls Stampede Hockey Club.
But in a now-viral video that has amassed millions of views, reaction on Twitter was swift, with people comparing it to Squid Games and calling it demeaning. In their apology, the Sioux Falls Stampede along with CU Mortgage Direct said they would be providing an additional $15,500 to area teachers. They explained that during the application process, 31 teachers had applied to participate and 10 were chosen randomly. The 10 teachers will each be given another $500 and the other 21 who were not selected will also be given $500.
South Dakota has ranked constantly as one of the worst states in the United States for teacher salary.
In 2020, teachers took home about $49,000 for the fiscal year and was ranked 50th in the United States. That’s up from $42,000 in 2016.
Gov. Kristi Noem has prioritized increasing funding for K-12 education and the Department of Education has set a target salary for teachers the fiscal year 2022 to be $52,600, according to previous Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporting.
In her budget address to the state legislature in early December, Noem proposed a 6% increase in state aid to education funding and stated that it should go directly to teachers.